‘I’m not going to punish myself for putting on weight’: Ashley James shares empowering post explaining why she isn’t working out in lockdown
She’s spoken about her love of exercise in the past and has even completed two marathons.
Yet Ashley James revealed that she isn’t using her extra time in lockdown as she spoke candidly about her relationship with her body and exercise.
Alongside a snap in her sportswear on Sunday, the 32-year-old DJ explained that she was using her one allocated outdoor period to walk her dog, not train, and reasoned that she wouldn’t be punishing herself for making this choice.
Sensible: Ashley James revealed that she isn’t using her extra time in lockdown as she spoke candidly about her relationship with her body and exercise
Ashley explained: ‘I want to talk about exercise in isolation, because I feel like I’m seeing it everywhere at the moment.
‘There’s no doubt moving your body is amazing for your mental health, never mind your physical health, and I applaud everyone who is using this time to do all those workouts, but I just want to say that it’s ok if you’re not right now.
‘I’m not either. Well, apart from dancing badly to happy music around the flat.’
Gym Bunny: Ashley has spoken about her love of exercise in the past and has even completed two marathons
Candid: Alongside a snap in her sportswear on Sunday, the 32-year-old DJ explained that she was using her one allocated outdoor period to walk her dog, not train
The Made In Chelsea star, who used to suffer from body dysmorphia, continued: ‘I used to see exercise as a form of punishment: punishment for eating a cupcake or crisps, punishment for slipping on my diet.
‘I hated going to the gym, but felt like I had to in order to get my dream body.
‘But do you know what I realised? Your dream body doesn’t exist with that mindset because you’ll never be good enough for yourself. I look back at photos of my body and wonder why on Earth I spent so much time hating and punishing it.’
Hilarious: Ashley shared a selfie as she joked ‘accurate footage of me on my sofa everytime I accidentally log in to a Live Workout on Instagram’
Reflecting on how far she has come, Ashley continued: ‘I don’t do that anymore. I move my body for enjoyment. I love my body regardless of how it looks. Weight gain is not the scariest thing because I love the way my body looks either way.
‘I don’t have ‘flaws’ because cellulite, stretch marks, and a belly are very normal. Being skinny is not a marker for beauty, being confident is. And that comes with learning to love yourself, not by punishing yourself.
‘When it comes to exercise, I love the feeling of punching boxing bags at Kobox (nothing more satisfying than thinking of your exes face as you repeatedly blow off steam to good music).
‘I love feeling the wind against my face as I run along the river listening to wicked tunes in Battersea Park, even if it’s only for 10 mins (which I’m not doing at the moment as I’m using my one time out to walk Snoop and FaceTime friends). I love going to trampoline parks. And that’s not possible right now.
‘What I’m not going to do is punish myself for enjoying the food I’m learning to cook (I love pasta). Or putting on a little weight.
‘It’s ok if you’re not using this time to work out or achieve ‘body goals’. I think the people who are are amazing, but it’s not for everyone and that’s ok.’
In the past, Ashley has bravely spoke about her body dysmorphia battle – a condition defined by the anxiety caused by a distorted image of the self.
Speaking out: The Made In Chelsea star, who used to suffer from body dysmorphia, continued, ‘I used to see exercise as a form of punishment: punishment for eating a cupcake or crisps’