Fitness influencer Ashy Bines reveals the moment her views on body image ‘flipped’ and how online bullying led to the ‘darkest time’ of her life
Ashy Bines is a fitness sensation, known for her Bikini Body Challenge exercise program and Ashy Bines Squad app.
And in an interview for The Sunday Telegraph’s Body+Soul, the Gold Coast-based trainer spoke about body image and being on the receiving end of online bullying.
The 30-year-old said the birth of her son Taj, now four, changed her mindset, and recalled how cruel comments from strangers led to the ‘darkest time’ of her life.
Fitness sensation: Gold Coast-based trainer Ashy Bines (pictured), 30, revealed the moment her views on body image ‘flipped’ in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph’s Body+Soul
‘I’ve always loved being fit and healthy, but it wasn’t until I had my son Taj nearly five years ago that my mindset flipped from wanting to look a certain way to wanting to feel a certain way,’ Ashy told the publication.
‘I wanted to be energetic, patient and for my mind to be in a healthy place.’
Elsewhere in the interview, Ashy, who shares her son with husband Steven Evans, went on to recall being on the receiving end of online bullying.
Motherhood: ‘I’ve always loved being fit and healthy, but it wasn’t until I had my son Taj nearly five years ago that my mindset flipped from wanting to look a certain way to wanting to feel a certain way,’ Ashy told the publication
Ashy was bombarded by cruel remarks, including death threats, by strangers back in 2017, when she was slammed for parking in a disabled spot outside her own gym.
Eagle-eyed fans called out the Instagram star after they spotted her luxury Range Rover in the disability space outside her Mermaid Beach gym in her YouTube video.
Ashy went on a ‘social media blackout’ at the time after apologising for her actions, while her husband came to her defence.
Social media: Ashy, who shares her son with husband Steven Evans (all pictured), went on to recall being on the receiving end of online bullying. Ashy was bombarded by cruel remarks, in 2017, when she was slammed for parking in a disabled spot outside her own gym
Reflecting on that time in her life, the activewear designer told Body+Soul: ‘It (the bullying) was awful. I don’t wish the intensity of what I felt upon my worst enemy. It was probably the darkest time of my life if I’m being completely honest.’
Ashy has always been honest with her fans, and this was particularly evident in an Instagram Stories post back in May.
The entrepreneur, who has a following of one million on the social media site, said she struggles to find the time to reply to her fans and that it can be ‘really draining’.
Darkest time of her life: Reflecting on that time in her life, the activewear designer told Body+Soul: ‘It (the bullying) was awful. I don’t wish the intensity of what I felt upon my worst enemy. It was probably the darkest time of my life if I’m being completely honest’
Ashy told fans she had something she ‘wanted to get off’ her chest, and that she had tried her best to ‘reply to every single person in social media’ for years.
‘Comments, DMs (direct messages), Facebook forums etc, and trust me when I say it’s A LOT. Hundreds a day. It can take up hours of my time. This week I’ve just realised I can’t keep doing it all,’ she wrote.
Prioritising her mental health and spending quality time with her family, Ashy revealed she would continue to respond to comments on Instagram, while her team would focus on responding to her DMs.
Read more: Ashy’s full interview is featured in Body+Soul in this week’s The Sunday Telegraph