The internet is dark and full of lies. (well it can be)
In a world of social media and the internet it is all too easy to be swept up in a world of false information.
Emma can tell you she's an instagram guru; Sandra can help you lose 10lbs in 3 weeks; Tim can help you make thousands of extra pounds each month easy.
But what evidence do we get that supports these claims? Those 10lbs and the 'evidentiary' before and after pictures could be taken months apart, or shockingly, even minutes apart thanks to the wonders of the human body, camera angles and photoshop. Does Emma have any real qualifications to make her an Instagram Guru? Does she work for Instagram? Or is she just a user who's doing quite well at the moment making a bold claim? Does Tim really make this money so easy or does he earn money from getting you to put in the hard work?
Body image has always been a sore point for me. I was always desperate at school to fit in with the cool kids when in reality I just wasn't ever going to be cool enough. I took years of bullying over my "non-existent" boobs when other girls were growing into their double d's. I knowingly starved myself by throwing away my packed lunches and only buying a portion of orange jelly for the day, a yoghurt and some water for weeks on end. And this was before Facebook became popular and Instagram was born.
Even as an adult I've fallen for the marketing. I've tried the "detox" tea which is basically just laxatives you add hot water to. I've tried the coaching apps and plans that you subscribe to. I even debated trying the "appetite suppressant lollies" because I have a real issue with snacking. Thankfully I didn't go there.
Because none of the above was healthy. For me.
I've now learnt to love that I'm a member of the itty-bitty-titty-committee and I now enjoy jelly, or a big delicious doughnut, when I want as part of a balanced diet. Most importantly I've learnt that these fads are highly unlikely to work. The healthiest way to succeed is to be dedicated, sensible and put the damn effort into achieving what you want. And in all honesty that applies to everything in life.
At the moment I'm trying to get fitter, stronger and lose a little bit of weight so I can fit back into my entire wardrobe. To do this I'm doing a combination of ballet, yoga, spin, PT sessions and walking alongside tracking my calorie intake just so I can make more informed decisions about what I'm fuelling my body with. So far I'm just on the borderline on getting back into my old jeans. I can do it, but they pinch a little and I can't really sit down.
Alongside my quest for strength, I'm also looking to invest in my knowledge about my body. I want to increase what I know about nutrition, how exercise works, my muscles and how I can really focus on the areas that will help my goals the most. For example, I know that I need to work on my core strength as this is a key area for improved turns in Ballet. But I want to delve into the why's and how's of this.
So, it may be a work in progress, and take a little time but I'm going to share a little more of my knowledge as I get it and the journey on here, if you don't mind, because I think it could be really quite fun.