Beyoncé has opened up about her history of extreme dieting, and detailed how her approach to self-care has evolved over the years.
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar, the global superstar admitted the astonishing lengths she has gone to in the past to prepare for a tour.
In her recent Homecoming concert film, for example, Bey described her pre-tour diet as demanding “no bread, no carbs, no sugar, no dairy, no meat, no fish, no alcohol.”
Now, however, she says she wouldn’t go to those extremes again.
“In the past, I spent too much time on diets, with the misconception that self-care meant exercising and being overly conscious of my body.”
These days, she says she’s looking beyond her appearance to evaluate her health:
“My health, the way I feel when I wake up in the morning, my peace of mind, the number of times I smile, what I’m feeding my mind and my body—those are the things that I’ve been focusing on.”
She also revealed the physical toll that touring has taken on her body in the past.
“I’ve personally struggled with insomnia from touring for more than half of my life. Years of wear and tear on my muscles from dancing in heels. The stress on my hair and skin, from sprays and dyes to the heat of a curling iron and wearing heavy makeup while sweating on stage.”
Now, Beyonce said she’s shifting her focus from her career to taking care of herself, admitting she has “not always made [herself] a priority.”
“I think like many women, I have felt the pressure of being the backbone of my family and my company and didn’t realise how much that takes a toll on my mental and physical well-being,” she added.
Part of that shift involves retraining past habits in pursuit of a more balanced lifestyle.
“Mental health is self-care too,” she explained.
“I’m learning to break the cycle of poor health and neglect, focusing my energy on my body and taking note of the subtle signs that it gives me. Your body tells you everything you need to know, but I’ve had to learn to listen. It’s a process to change habits and look past the bag of chips and the chaos everywhere!”
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