Sometimes I get frustrated with myself for letting this whole concept of body confidence, take up so much space and energy in my head. It’s something I worry about pretty much on a daily basis. The shape and size of my body seems to fluctuate constantly, so it's an ongoing challenge.
PC Michael Hannig
- I work on it by learning about nutrition and fuelling my body with healthy, nutritious food, always trying to improve my lifetsyle habits
- I work on it by moving my body; I work out 3-5 times per week doing vigorous exercise for an hour (weights, HIIT, running) I also aim to walk 10,000 steps per day
- I work on it by understanding my body and learning how external factors such as travel, stress, sleep and environment can have an impact
Over the last 12 months, I’ve been working on all of this, but feel like I’m hitting a brick wall. The math is not adding up!
I literally feel like I’m about to cry writing this. I know that sounds silly, and is a totally silly thing to get upset about. But it’s so frustrating to be working hard at something and not see the results we're hoping for. Moreover, it’s something I find embarrassing, especially given the nature of my job.
This is not a new challenge for me. I have always struggled with body confidence, it’s partly genetics, partly lifestyle choices. Yet despite everything I am doing, I feel heavier than I want to be.
You’ve got to work with what you’ve got and own it right? So we do... that’s why I ran the London Marathon in body paint and shared my message "This IS ME" that went viral by the time I had crossed the finish line.
Our bodies are a direct result of who we are, the battles we’ve faced and the choices we make.
It is not easy to accept the stuff we love and the stuff we want to change, but I think that if we can be more open about this with each other, we’ll feel like we’re in this together.
The judgement I feel comes from the outside and not the inside. Inside, I know I am strong, healthy and happy. But the pressure from outside seeps in, and then tears us up inside. The challenge, as I am sure many of you can relate to, is to balance this pressure, with staying true to who we are.
This statement is on the homepage of my website and I remind myself of it everyday:
“Fitness is about what my body can do, and how that makes me feel, not what it looks like. I focus on functionality rather than aesthetics, on developing a strong mind instead of focusing on negatives.”
PC: Michael Hannig
A few days ago I published this post on my social media after receiving comments that I was not giving off the right image by posting pictures of myself whilst on holiday in Hawaii. What was meant as a celebration of hard work, femininity and happiness, I now realize could have been portrayed as me unintentionally objectifying myself. I wrote this post to open up about my struggle with body positivity and explain why I shared the pictures. Also, to say that sometimes I may get this whole social media/blogging thing wrong, and if/when I do, I will hold my hands up and say I'm sorry.
I can’t thank you guys enough for the support you give me and for the stories, feedback and comments you share with me. When you reach out and share your journey with me, it makes me so happy - it gives purpose to what I'm doing! I think it is simply amazing that the internet has created a world where we can connect with people, on a meaningful level, without having met and living all over the world. Basically you rock! Keep your emails and messages coming!
P.S This is the first in a series of blogs about this. The next one is on the impact of stress and how I’m dealing with it.
DOUBLE RAINBOW!! PC: Michael Hannig