Stretched

Follow Stretched
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

Mother of 4 boys, including autistic twins. Mental health and body positivity activist. Author of 'Stretched: A mother's journey to love her 'flaws' and how you can too' Creator of the Stretched Mama community

Ana Louise Bonasera


    • Mar 15, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 19m AVG DURATION
    • 12 EPISODES


    Search for episodes from Stretched with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from Stretched

    011 Weight gain in lockdown

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2021 17:54


    When Boris Johnson announced that we were aiming for life to return to normal on the 21st June 2021 it opened a can of worms. All of a sudden social media was filled with 'funny' memes about losing weight and getting back in shape. The pressure for us to leave lockdown the same as we went into or even better was immense. A lot of people will have put on weight during the past year and used food as comfort to cope emotionally, myself included. However, I don't see this as a bad thing and it is not something I am going to make myself feel guilty of. In the podcast I talk about how emotional eating is not the worst coping mechanism we could have done and how diets actually harm our body not help them. Books I reference: Mel Wells - Goddess Revolution Dr Linda Bacon - Health at every size

    010 Suicide trigger warning

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2021 22:14


    After a bit of a break it's time to come back, we've all been through so much in the past year and there are some important topics to dive into. This week Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah aired on national television and everyone is talking about it. There has been a lot of negative feedback questioning whether or not she is telling the truth about her suicidal thoughts. In the podcast I share some dark times I have been through and how no one else would have known. The term "attention seeker" gets attached to someone who speaks out about wanting to take their own life, this stigma stops people from feeling comfortable to talk about how they are feeling and can end in tragedy. It's so important to open up and talk about how we're feeling, all feelings are valid, if you are struggling please reach out to friends, family or there are text/call lines ready to listen if you need. Crisis text line open 24/7 85258 Samaritans charity call line open 24/7 116 123

    009 Excercise bad vs good

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2020 11:59


    Exercise is great but it can also be used in a way to punish yourself. Today we talk about how to exercise the right way. www.selflovedetox.com/burlexercise

    008 Inutitive eating

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2020 24:14


    Life is crazy right now and you might find yourself using food as a coping mechanism, extra snacks with a big sprinkle of guilt on top. In this episode I share how I began to question whether I had to spend the rest of my life on a diet and how I learned to trust myself to eat freely. We also go through the 10 principles of intuitive eating. Book recommendations: Just Eat It - Dr Laura Thomas PhD Body Positive Power - Megan Crabbe The Goddess Revolution - Mel Wells

    007 3 steps to feeling body confident

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2020 21:43


    Feeling comfortable in your own skin isn't something that comes easy, in this day and age their is so much pressure to look picture perfect. In this episode I share 3 steps to feeling body confident, however, your self love journey is not about being an over night success. Small steps everyday go along way. Listen in to find out my 3 steps. Come and join our live free 3 day event www.selflovedetox.com/live If you'd like to listen to my podcast on self talk, check it out here https://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:46659127/sounds.rss NOT OVER NIGHT SUCCESS. Faith it until you make it. I have and always have had the power to be beautiful, powerful and fierce. My own struggles - still sometimes doubt my own self worth in some situations.

    006 Emotions in lockdown

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2020 19:56


    There’s no guide book to tell you how to deal with life, especially when we’re in the midst of a pandemic. The more we feel shame for our emotions and our mental health the more we will cover up and the worse we will feel. In this episode I share when I realised that I had problems with my mental health, how “the foreseeable future” is the definition of anxiety and how all of your emotions are valid. We are talk how to share your emotions if you struggle to talk to your nearest and dearest. With help journalling you can download my free “Journal through” template… www.selflovedetox.com/freedownloads To talk to someone in confidence, checkout these helplines… Pandas UK open 7 days a week open 9am-7pm 0808 196 776 free from UK landlines Mind mental health charity open 5 days a week 9am-6pm Call 0300 123 3393 Or text 86463 Crisis text line 24/7 85258 Smaritans 24/7 116 123

    005 Celebrate you

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2020 22:43


    Do you feel self conscious when you exercise? Do you punish yourself for overeating by working out harder to burn the calories? Do you ever stop to celebrate your body for what it can do? In today's episode I talk about Celebrate You - a 10km run in London in your underwear. This caused me to go on a roller coaster of emotions, everyone told me I don't have to do it, but I knew I had to. How could you workout for joy and to celebrate what your body can do? Laura Bland my co presenter for Love Thy Project does amazing fitness workouts and is all about self love. https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitnessandselflovewithlaurab/ Zoe McNulty the Headmistress of the School of Strut is doing online dance classes. https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolofstrutislaytiononline/

    004 Morning motivation

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2020 7:56


    Take a big deep breath, ground yourself and take this podcast to help you start your day with a strong mind. If you liked this then please let me know and I will make some more.

    003 Self love in self isolation

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2020 23:10


    The world is an even more scary place than it is usually. Here are five rituals I've been using to help keep my mind ticking and protect my mental health. To download your free print out check it out here... www.selflovedetox.com/003

    002 Why diets don't work

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2020 20:19


    The moment I questioned whether I was really going to live my life on a diet was the moment I opened my mind to exploring self love. In this episode I share my experience with dieting and how I became obsessed with restricting what I ate. You can learn to trust yourself to eat without rules. Books I recommend: Just eat it by Dr Laura Thomas The Goddess Revolution by Mel Wells

    001 Self talk

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2020 20:12


    How do you talk to yourself about your body? Do you talk negatively, positively or neutrally? In this episode we go through limiting beliefs that are stopping you from making peace with your body. I share my struggles with jeans and cloth sizing and how we are not alone in how we feel about our bodies. It's time for you to flip the script from negative to positive.

    000 Trailer episode

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2020 20:25


    Welcome to the Self Love Detox Podcast, in this trailer episode I am going to dig deep into who I am and why I started the Self Love Detox.

    Claim Stretched

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel