beauty

What does the word ‘beautiful’ mean to you?

Before 2014, it meant something TOTALLY different to me. Why? Well, let’s just say that my life turned upside down and my outer world completely shifted in a way that I can’t even describe two years ago. Since then I’ve been focused on making myself feel beautiful on the inside while learning how to love myself and take care of myself despite what my physical body looks like. My perceptions of beauty have been so insanely challenged these last two years – just when I thought my healing journey was over and here I am still learning how to love myself and go inwards to find true happiness.

We’ve all been there. Someone makes you feel less than beautiful by something they say to you, you see yourself in the mirror and say awful things to yourself, you don’t fit into your clothes, you have a zit, you’re bloated, you don’t feel like YOU. You’ve been there. I’ve been there. We’ve all been there. But it took me well into my 30’s to realize that nothing on the outside matters, it’s what we’ve got going on inside that counts.

Today’s post is something that has been so strongly on my mind in the last few months. With all the social media buzz and images of ‘the perfect’ life and lifestyle bombarding us daily on TV, in magazines, via social media, etc. so many of my clients don’t feel beautiful in their own skin. Something that I learned in the last two years (after gaining 70 lbs of fluid in 5 days when my endocrine system shut down), is that beauty lies within us. It’s about our energy and the light we shine from within. It has nothing to do with what we look like on the outside. As I sit here writing this post, still carrying about 30 lbs of fluid on me (that is slowly coming off), I remind myself to go inward and recognize that I’m a beautiful person inside. Gaining this weight has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever been through because it’s hormonal water weight, which means it has nothing to do with what I eat or how much I exercise. I felt lost and confused and sad and ugly and fat and gross, plus I felt AWFUL since my hormones were so out-of-whack and I know that all of you ladies out there know the feeling with PMS. Well I had PMS for 2 years straight. All I wanted to do was cry and sleep and cry some more and avoid the mirror. I’m doing weekly lymphatic drainage and massage and lots of body work as well as working with a new herbalist to help balance my hormones since I don’t want to take hormonal drugs and I’m staying positive and looking to the bright side of the situation as much as possible.

I went from 100 pounds to 170 pounds in 5 days and my hair went from blonde to brown. I remember excruciatingly raw days- too many days when getting out of bed was not an option. Talk about an identity crisis. I recall waking up one day and wanting my relationship with my body to be fun again- to be loving and delightful. I wanted to find a way to be a body and a soul at the same time and I want to nurture my creativity and feed my mind with new information. I can’t recall the last time I truly felt connected to my body. It’s my own acceptance that I crave now and I know my breath-work, yoga and meditation is helping me reach this place. I’ve learned how to look at the woman in the mirror (ME) with loving eyes even though I’m still retaining fluid, I’m staying positive and seeing the fluid release every week. It’s my endocrine system that’s upside down and I have this strong feeling that staying positive and learning how to love myself more and more will help me patch it back up. I’ve learned that if we can hold our own hands, we are never alone. All of a sudden throughout the last 12 months, the most incredible friends have come into my life from a number of different angles. It feels like we’ve known each other for years and I feel a connection to their words every time we speak. They’ve shown me the beauty of friendship- true friendship and how real beauty lies within each of us if we just dig a little bit to find it.

It still amazes me that my own healing, undoing layer after layer to reach a place of self-love was the catalyst for something so much bigger than me. It was as though there was a purpose to my health crisis and all the pain that came after- that’s what gives me such comfort and led me to trust the universe and a power far greater than myself who was guiding me every step of the way.

So, when Lycored asked me to join their #rethinkbeautiful campaign, I was beyond excited to share what beauty means to me and how we can all learn to embrace our bodies no matter what we look like on the outside or what is going on in our lives. You can check out the beautiful #rethinkbeautiful campaign I recently worked on with Lycored, who teamed up with a few of their influencers and asked us to talk about what makes us feel beautiful inside and out. I’m so honored to be a part of this video. You can check out the beautiful #rethinkbeautiful campaign “Beauty is What You Make It” video I recently worked on with Lycored here.

To me, I feel beautiful when I’m wearing no makeup (which is pretty much everyday), I’m out in nature or making a beautiful meal for myself to nurture my body. Many of us weren’t raised to believe that our bodies are temples. They are and boy o’ boy have I learned that these last 10 years going from chronic illness to vitality.

We can start to #rethinkbeautiful. You can start thinking your way there today.

Beauty is a feeling that starts within you. INSIDE of you. Whether it’s something that you feel inside that shines on the outside or taking care of yourself by meditating, resting, saying NO to things you don’t want to do in life so you’re not draining yourself, and saying YES to you and your life and new adventures. I take care of the skin I’m in because it’s the only skin I’ve got! I am all about eating a ton of lycopene- I eat so many tomatoes, it’s insane but Lycored is a supplement and cosmeceutical leader, a clinically proven pioneer in ingestible skincare, harnessing and sourcing ingredients from the natural world and utilizing the most cutting edge technology methods to help your skin work its hardest from the inside out. Lycored is a supplement and cosmeceutical leader; it’s their mission to redefine beauty as a feeling that starts from within and change the perception of ingestible skincare. When they reached out to me last year, I was so impressed with what they were doing that I jumped at the opportunity to hear more about their cleanproducts and I’ve had a ball collaborating with them! Lycored encourages all to cultivate wellness their own way and go beyond “skin deep” by focusing on finding internal happiness and health. It is their mission to redefine beauty as a feeling that starts from within and change the perception of ingestible skincare, “inspiring” us to #rethinkbeautiful. Please help them spread the word by sharing what beauty from within means to you and what makes your unique glow shine from the inside, out on social media. You can use the hashtag #rethinkbeautiful and post an image of yourself with what makes you feel beautiful.

Close your eyes and take a moment. Can you feel it? Your beauty?

Sending you all so much love and beauty from the inside.

Big hugs!

xo

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4 comments

  1. I am a little behind in reading your posts. I Love them all, but this one really hit home and I am printing it out for my daughter! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and healing journey it is greatly appreciated:)

  2. Omg! What beautiful and heartfelt thoughts.
    Love you Amie…

    “Life is a work of art.
    Make each day a masterpiece. “Quote from cancer survivor and marathoner Don Wright