When thinking of a typically "healthy" person, you might conjure up an image of a slim individual in the latest activewear, holding a responsibly-made wicker basket full of kale and chia seeds, on their way home from a spin class. But while this person certainly sends off "I'm healthy and I know it" vibes, it doesn't mean that anyone who doesn't fit into this image is unhealthy.
Two sisters who are trying to remind the world that there is no "one stock standard size that defines health or beauty" are Jes and Alyna Rost. With Jes being a former plus-size model and Alyna an ex-ballerina, they believe that "everyone's healthiest version of themselves looks different".
The two sisters live in Sydney, Australia, and they've joined forces to make an Instagram page called @healthysizeyou that encourages people to recognise that even if you don't have the same body shape as those kale-wielding spin class fanatics, you can still be healthy.
Jes and Alyna both work out the same amount per week, and both have very healthy eating habits, though they've got quite different body shapes. Both girls have struggled to love the shape of their bodies in the past, but came to realise that self-acceptance comes with letting go of prescribed "standards" of what is considered healthy and beautiful.
"Growing up, I was never the 'skinny' girl," Jes told Daily Mail Australia. "I always had a butt and thighs and curves, and I never had anything around me to say that this was normal and beautiful too."
She said it was only when she began plus-size modelling that she started to embrace her curves and feel comfortable hitting the beach in a bikini.
Alyna also spoke about how she had a warped idea of body image, saying that training as a ballerina didn't help. "The ballet industry is an industry where weight and size are always at the forefront of people's minds," she said.
"Standing in front of a mirror in pink tights and a leotard is always confronting and it took me a long time to gain a better and positive body image."
Once she stopped dancing, she realised that it was actually very unhealthy to be constantly comparing her weight to others. And after talking to her sister about it, the two of them thought they should open up the discussion to others.
"We were part of such different worlds and had very different experiences when we were modelling and dancing that shaped our views of our bodies," Alyna said.
"We spoke about how we both had stereotypes and negative comments pushed on us about our size and 'health'."
Jes said that it was their differences in body shape, despite the fact that they both had healthy lifestyles, that convinced them to "show that health and beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes and we all need to embrace our own beauty."
The pair eat extremely healthy diets, involving plenty of greens and lean proteins, and they work out six days a week. Their go-to fitness regimes include running, lifting weights, resistance-band workouts, Pilates and boxing.
Keep it up, girls!
