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Growing up I never questioned the food I ate or monitored the amount of exercise I undertook - childhood was a pretty happy, safe place for me. It wasn't until I reached my early teens and started to notice that although I was very active and my Mum rarely treated us to a Maccies, I was still so much larger than my friends. This personal observation was of course affirmed by the harsh words of my peers and almost overnight I found myself victim to fatty taunts and a feeling of complete isolation with regards to my appearance.
As time passed by these words began to knock my self-esteem considerably and I had become a very quiet, withdrawn young teen by the age of 13. It was my sister-in-law that took me under her wing at this time and with her knowledge and understanding of what I was going through, she offered to take me swimming once a week so that I felt ownership and control over my health & fitness. I would treasure our weekly swims and in no time at all we were beating our weekly length targets and putting the world to rights all in one. Despite increasing my existing exercise routine, the weight that my Mum had always labelled as 'puppy fat' or 'heavy bones' was simply not shifting. It was at this point in my life that monitoring absolutely everything I ate and drank became an absolute obsession.
Reaching this point of obsession with food and fat intake by the age of 16 can very quickly transport you to a really dangerous place. Everything in life then evolves around the idea that if you reach that 'perfect' weight and appearance you will discover ultimate abundance and contentment in all aspects of life. As I reached my late teens and having dropped to 7 stone, I found myself in a bubble of confusion as although I was now 'skinny' everything else in life still wasn't how I had imagined it would feel. Ironically now that I was at my thinnest, my regular exercise routine had diminished as I no longer had the strength to take part in the sports that I used to enjoy.
This is where most sufferers of eating disorders tip over the edge of the safety zone and continue to drop the pounds. Luckily for me it was at this time that some of the most important people of my life entered. Over time these new relationships and the moments that we shared together helped me to beat those draining obsessive thoughts. They helped me to rekindle my love of food, fine dining and build the strength to exercise once again. The sad thing is that none of those individuals probably even know what they did for me at my time of need. You'd assume that food was at the centre of these relationships but it couldn't have been more distant and I think that is what helped me. For the first time in years socialising didn't evolve around meals but instead we would attend live music events, visit new places and dance our socks off in the scummiest of bars. Thank you to all those crazy loving individuals ❤️
In our podcast episode this week, we discuss maintaining a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise, a positive mindset and a balanced diet. These tips apply to all - whether you are over, under or the average weight. I cannot stress how important it is to get all of these parts of your daily routine right for you rather than that perfect idea of yourself. Once again I feel so proud of my just 14 year old niece who seems to have it down. So check out her wise words & our attempt at entertainment here: https://youtu.be/LWu_UShXegE
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