The current Miss Pole Dance Australia had previously struggled with anorexia and bulimia and body dysmorphia.
For years, Amy Hazel, 25, suffered from anorexia, bulimia and body dysmorphia.
The Melbourne-based champion pole dancer started up the sport at 18 years old but during a year long break from pole while studying design in England, she struggled with anorexia and bulimia.
In 2016, Amy told FEMAIL that this had then developed into ‘flexorexia’ – a type of body dysmorphia that meant she was unable to see herself as flexible enough, especially when she compared herself to others.
Now, the current Miss Pole Dance Australia has revealed her newfound love of balance and how a passion for naturopathy and acro yoga has helped her learn to love herself and find success in the sport.
‘Winning Miss Pole Dance Australia was just such an amazing dream come true for me and I truly put it down to embracing more balance in my life,’ Amy, also known as the ‘Pole Dancing Unicorn’, told FEMAIL.
‘I started studying naturopathy after developing a love for holistic remedies and healing through food and especially with my anorexic background it was so important for me to learn about how to nourish my body with food and herbs.
‘I also dove into a lot more group fitness over the past year like F45 and yoga. Doing group workouts has been so great for my self esteem and my relationship with exercise.’
Amy said she has balanced out her schedule and combined her love for pole dancing with naturopathy and acro yoga which she does with her partner Jake.
"Winning Miss Pole Dance Australia was just such an amazing dream come true for me and I truly put it down to embracing more balance in my life."
— Amy Hazel
‘I find couples acro to be amazing for our relationship and it helps us work through things and communicate better,’ she said.
She also credits her Miss Pole Dance Australia win to this more balanced and holistic approach to life as she has been able to work on her self confidence.
‘I don’t compare myself to others anymore. I started to realise that everyone has their own niches,’ she said.
‘I think it was stepping out of the pole world for a bit and not solely basing my life around pole dancing that allowed me to be more in tune with myself. As a result my winning routine wasn’t any more technical than previous years, it was just more emotional and real.
‘The thing that changed was my attitude and how I felt about my song and costume and just getting more in tune with really enjoying myself up there.’
Amy has also started up a nutrition-focused social media page where she shares snaps of her food and healthy creations.
‘I remember I used to be so conscious of the size of my meals and now I’m all for eating as much as I want if it’s good food,’ Amy said.
‘I would love to be a platform for people to come to where my love for naturopathy and food can help them.
‘I really want to help others and I’m organising a retreat next year where people can come and focus on nutrition and caring for their body and all that stuff.’
"I would constantly compare my stomach, arms and legs to the girls around me and think that I was bigger than they all were when in reality I was 37kg and 2-4 sizes smaller than most of them. I just simply couldn’t achieve "skinny" and it became an obsession."
— Amy Hazel
Amy said her passion for pole remains but with her ever-increasing platform she hopes to help women overcome eating disorders, body dysmorphia or poor eating/fitness habits.
‘I really want to encourage women to reach out – as much as you don’t think people want to help they do want to help you. If you are honest and open there’s a 95 per cent chance they will want to guide you or help you out in some way,’ Amy said.
‘You are never alone and as much as you might think it’s shameful, it’s better to have someone with you and helping you along the way.
‘I personally feel like the minute I start making decisions based on what’s going to benefit me, the world falls at my feet.’