If you're not a 'real' woman what are you????

I'd be interested to get some thoughts on this one..

A well respected provider of fitness courses are running a Women's Appreciation month on FB where they're asking women to post photos/videos of them lifting to show that women can be strong etc. FANTASTIC idea, and a great way to quash notions that lifting weights makes us big and bulky, or that we'll all end up looking like Jodie Marsh.. Today in a post they used the expression 'real women, doing real training'....

This isn't a dig at those running the promotion, I honestly think it's a brilliant idea. It's a great opportunity to promote their courses, encourage women to get involved in strength training and educate people that lifting weights doesn't turn women into a body builder type.

However... I HATE the term 'real women'. It's an expression that has come about as part of a backlash towards the super skinny, supermodel era. After years of being told we should be super skinny, now we're being told we're not a real woman if we don't have curves??

The 'real women' campaign is basically just giving the middle finger to the fashion and beauty industry who have made women feel like they're not slim/sexy or perfect enough for years... That's fine. I hate that the fashion industry has the power to make women feel bad about themselves. However... I really don't like how this new term has become so popular, and is now creating a whole new notion of what a woman should look like. 'Real women have curves' implies that if you don't have a J-Lo ass, or breasts above a certain cup size that you're in some way less of a woman. If you're naturally slim, should you try to gain weight in the hope that you too can be a 'real woman'?  Should you be less content and confident just because your naturally petite?

Most commonly, the term 'real woman' is used to describe and justify a woman carrying excess weight. Now.. we all know I wasn't exactly slim before so this isn't me being a judgemental cow or anything like that.. Ireland has an obesity epidemic. Using this term is encouraging people to view being overweight as being the ideal, or the norm. It's not. It is bad for your health. Simple as that. We shouldn't be glamorizing being overweight in the same way as we shouldn't encourage being super skinny or underweight. These type of factions just serve to encourage disorders ranging from anorexia to body dysmorphia to compulsive overeating and depressive illnesses.

By switching from the 'super skinny' campaign, to the 'real women' team, we're basically just creating a new way to make women feel insecure about their body type. Being slim doesn't make you any less of a woman than being a size 14, 18, 24 or whatever. We need a new campaign.. one that focusses on women being healthy and happy, without pitting us against each other in a bid to have the 'perfect' body type.

In the same way, I'm not sure I like the mention of these so-called 'real women' doing 'real training'. I love lifting weights...the gym is where I'm at my happiest lately and I actively encourage women to get involved in strength training over running on a treadmill at every opportunity. However, I never ever belittle the type of training someone else does.. I'd far prefer to see women enjoying running on a treadmill for 30 minutes, than hating every second of a strength training program, giving up on it and going back to the sofa instead. Just because running isn't my thing, it doesn't make it any less 'real' than squatting or deadlifting.

People should do what they enjoy, what works for them and what they can stick to. There is no right way to train or eat.. everyone is different and I think if we all respected and embraced that, we'd be an awful lot happier..

The real food pyramid....

You're here because you're interested in your health, right? If you take one thing away from this post, let it be that you need to educate yourself and not depend on the government, food industry or nutritional 'experts' to deliver unbiased information. As tempting as it is for me to highlight the flaws in the traditional food pyramid which we are all familiar with, I won't. It's been done to death, and a quick search will yield days of reading material which should suffice in convincing you that all you need is real food. 

There's no need to overcomplicate things... 

This is all you need to know. 

Everyone has to start somewhere, and I'm the first to admit that when I decided to make a change, I really had no idea what I should be eating. Information given to us in the media is generally biased to whatever global corporation is footing the bill for the advertorial. Prime examples include the promotion of white bread as a useful addition to our diet, the suggestion that a doughnut for breakfast is better than holding out for something nutrient rich a little later or the most recent I've seen, the promotion of a bowl of sugar for breakfast. The point is, you need to educate yourself, make decisions wisely and trust your instincts. We all know processed foods are bad, it really comes down to making a choice and owning it. 

I use the word choice, because you have a choice. You can choose to stay as you are, filling your body with chemicals and additives, or you can turn things around and eat tasty,real food. You'll be amazed at how much you can do with natural, fresh ingredients.

For quite a while, I lived on salads and steamed vegetables because I genuinely didn't know what to cook, and I was afraid if I deviated from what we all know to be healthy food, that I'd start to veer off track and stop making progress. The problem with eating the same foods all the time is that you'll get bored, and you will cheat... we've all been there! You don't need to have excellent cooking skills, or a massive weekly food budget... Like I said in my last post, leave your excuses to one side, and make the choice to live a healthier lifestyle. 

I cook all the time now, I even bake cakes! The key is finding a balance... the odd treat won't hurt, but you need to be mindful of undoing all the progress you've made that week by eating everything in sight...

It's really important to recognise that eating Paleo/Primal, doesn't mean that portion control should go out the window. Yes, you're eating unprocessed food, but this food still contains calories...The cakes I bake use healthier ingredients, but they're not an every day feature in my diet...they're a treat..

If you're just starting out, two books I've read that I found excellent were 'It Starts With Food' and 'The Paleo Solution'. They're both really easy to understand, and don't throw out endless amounts of scientific information. Like I said... there's no need to make things difficult...

It's simple...lots of meat & vegetables, nuts and some fruit. Anything that was produced in a factory & packaged in brightly coloured boxes with ingredients you can't pronounce shouldn't be on your shopping list! 

No more excuses...

Do you find you always have an excuse? “I can’t go training, I’m too tired”, “I can’t eat healthy food, I’m too busy to cook”, “I can’t lose weight, being overweight runs in my family”, “I hate my job, but am worried I’ll fail if I try something new” and the list goes on… If you’re someone who always has an excuse for not doing the things you really want, or being the person you want to be, then you’re probably reading the wrong blog. I don’t believe in excuses; I believe in getting things done and setting small goals to make your life the best it can be. On the other hand, maybe you’re in exactly the right place, and by reading about my experiences, you can take small steps to improve your life…

I should probably tell you a little about me…I’m 26, living in Dublin, and the past few years have been tough to say the least. I’ve battled through chronic illness (I’ll share more later), depression and being morbidly obese. I guess it’s true to say that what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. I made a decision 2 years ago, that I was going to change my life, and I have. I’m still working towards my goals, but I am immensely proud of my achievements to date.

I’m still struggling with illness, but am incredibly strong and have great support so I’ll overcome whatever hurdles I’m faced with.

I’ve shed over half my body weight in the past 26 months (I promise before and after pics are coming…it’s worth sticking around just for this!) I genuinely think this has provided me with the greatest learning experience I’ll ever have in life, and I’d love if I could help others take steps to make positive changes for their health.

• I never realised how overweight I was. I avoided the scales, so genuinely had no clue what weight I was (I’ll share this later… can’t be giving all my secrets away just yet).
• I ignored the labels on clothes, convincing myself that sizes were getting smaller, not that I was getting bigger.
• I wore heels all the time, thinking if I looked taller that it would disguise my weight.
• I avoided getting in photos.
• I had to wear make up to feel better about myself.
• The lights would make me sweat, I didn’t even need to be moving!
• I had zero energy, and would avoid socialising that would require any physical exertion.
• People made comments about my size when I’d walk by, some whispering, and some out loud to deliberately hurt me.
• If someone looked my direction, I’d assume they were judging me for how I looked.
• I wasn’t honest with myself about how I felt, and was embarrassed.
• I didn’t know how to change things, I had terrible eating habits I didn’t know how to break and I thought if I went to the gym, people would laugh at the fat girl drowning in sweat on the treadmill…

If you can identify with any of the above, then I can definitely help you… (Whilst you might think I was naive etc, I was actually depressed and in denial)

People make snap judgements of those who are overweight, or different to themselves. If you take anything away from this post, please realise that everyone has feelings, and one thoughtless, off-the-cuff comment from you could be crushing to someone…

I stopped making excuses. I decided I wanted to wear nice clothes; not to be ashamed to look at myself; to be fit, active and enjoy life; and most of all, I wanted to feel confident and happy again. Nobody else could do this for me.

I kept things simple, I threw out all the rubbish food in my house, went shopping for fresh whole foods, joined a gym and promised myself that I would achieve my goals.

The first steps are the hardest. I heard someone say recently “It’s far easier to quit at the beginning, than at the end”. This is so true! Walking into the gym changing room, and stepping on the scales was terrifying, but had to be done. I burst into tears. I could have walked straight back out the door, and gone back to the comfort of the sofa and food, but I didn’t. I took a deep breath, and swore I’d take it one day at a time.

I love cooking, and found myself really enjoying cooking sensible portions of healthy food rather than mountains of processed ‘food’. Every day I went to the gym felt like a little victory. I made tiny changes like using the stairs and parking in furthest corner of the carpark. These little changes made a huge difference. I was shocked that healthy food tasted great, and I wasn’t hungry ten minutes after a meal.

After 7 days, I stepped on the scales and had lost 4lb. I was so proud of myself, and that little victory, motivated me for the next 7 days. I knew on day 7, that I could do it.

I’m now half the size I was, have found my confidence, eat great food inspired by the Paleo lifestyle, love training and couldn’t imagine ever going back to my old habits. The key for me, was taking things step by step, and most importantly, doing it for me.

I plan to use this blog to highlight my struggles and victories… Since I love to cook and bake, expect some foodie posts… good food doesn’t have to just come in the form of boring salads right?!

So no more excuses..decide what it is that you want out of life, and make it happen...