You Asked and Launch Party Recap

We’ve loved seeing your snaps with your STRONG Australia mag on social – it’s how we celebrate with our readers from afar!

For those in Victoria, we recently celebrated our October/November issue featuring the incredible Stephanie Sanzo at a glamorous launch party in Melbourne.

Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated with us, particularly our venue and event partner LUMAS Gallery.

Also a massive thank you to our other sponsors: Gardenfield Co, Result Based Training, The Chia Co, Liberty Belle, Before You Speak, WaterWipes, Nutrition Warehouse, Fitcover, Tully Lou and Sweat!

TOP – Tully Humphrey and Sarah Pasini, Tully Lou MIDDLE – Alexa Towersey, Head Trainer BOTTOM – The STRONG Australia team: Angelique Tagaroulias, Digital Editor, Alicia Fistonich, Director, Stephanie Sanzo, Cover Model, Katelyn Swallow, Editor-in-Chief, Alexa Towersey, Head Trainer, and Deon Haar, Advertising Director

Don’t forget to tag us on Insta! @strongfitnessmag_au #strongfitnessmagau

Sarah McMahon Psychologist and body image expert, Director of BodyMatters Australasia

“Can we improve our body image when we are actively trying to change our body composition?” You Asked:

It depends! It may be impossible to tell from appearance or behaviour whether actions breed body love or body hatred. It’s your internal experience – your motivation and inner dialogue – that are important. Body love is about fostering a positive relationship with our body; body hatred is the opposite.

Why are you trying to change your body composition? If it’s because you hate your body, it means you see it as defective or ‘flawed’, and changing your body composition will ‘fix’ it. Body anxiety skyrockets as you attempt to obtain or maintain ‘perfection’.

Keep the focus on your body as an instrument, not an object. Focus on its functions, and what it can – and does – do for you. Body love is knowing your body is fantastic, not that it looks fantastic.

How are you trying to change your body composition? Depriving, punishing and pushing yourself to the limit – such as exercising to the point of injury or pursuing change at any cost – will lead to body hatred, not body love.

Connect to your body from the insideout. Your body is a source of invaluable information – listen to and honour it. You need to perform activities that feel good for you, not others.

Focus on engaging in healthy behaviour for the sake of improving health as the primary goal. If your physical or mental health is deteriorating as a result of trying to change your body composition, you need to re-evaluate your goal!

Body loving behaviour • Focus on nourishing your body rather than depriving it. • Bring compassion to training. • Focus on what your body can do, rather than how it looks.