I Can't Believe I Did This! #AWomansWord
I was a shy child and I would hide behind my more confident sister. I didn't particularly enjoy being in the spotlight or drawing attention to myself.
When I was a teenager and even in my early twenties I would always shy away from putting myself in front of a camera.
I sometimes had crippling self-esteem issues and it stopped me from doing so many things. I had a secret dream of being a TV presenter. I even got as far as nearly booking a course to teach me how. I worked for a while in the industry but to be honest I could never have put myself forward for a job like that.
In my late twenty I discovered that exercise made me feel better about myself, it made me feel alive and confident. I then discovered the impact of a healthy diet and how much better it made me feel.
In my thirties I gave birth to my two children and that made me lose sight of how exercise and nutrition help me to feel good.
It's only now as I head into my forties that I am finally understanding that it really doesn’t matter what people think of me or what I choose to do or how I look.
Now as I watch my daughter grow up. I see her beauty and I can't bear to see her question it.
I still stop myself from doing the things I really want to do because of that little voice saying – who are you to do this?
But I'm sick of holding back and now I want to show my beautiful daughter that if you believe in yourself you can achieve anything.
The Good Child Report 2015, published this week, highlighted how unhappy children in the UK are and it strikes me that we have lost sight of the fundamentals that make us healthy and happy. Fundamentals that I find I have to teach my adult clients that we really should be learning as children.
For example how much more positive, energetic and alive we can feel if we exercise regularly. How good nutrition full of fresh food rather than processed manufactured junk has an impact on our hormones and therefore our health. And the most important skill of all, how our mind-set can influence how we treat ourselves and those around us.
It has taken a long time for me to start thinking differently about my own self-image and now I try for me and my daughter to be positive and remember that a body is something that can do truly incredible things, we have legs that carry us, hands that touch those we love and I tell my children that their body's need to be looked after, they were made with love and I hope that by looking after their bodies they will love them and feel positive about themselves.
I wonder what life would be like for the next generation if we could leave our daughters with a gift of not having these hang ups that hold us back.
What could they achieve if they just knew they have something positive to share with the world?
It blows my mind to think what they could do with this power.
An opportunity came up lately for me to put to bed some of my issues about being in front of a camera and show the world that this is me and I am proud of who I now am. I am feeling a little chuffed with myself for actually doing it and even prouder of my little girl for indulging me and having the confidence to try something new.
We have been a part of a photoshoot for the Wife Events campaign #AWomansWord.
#AWomansWord seeks to promote greater awareness about the negative and disempowering words we use as women when it comes to body image.
#AWomansWord encourages us to replace these words with those that empower us instead
#AWomansWord is a pledge and a promise we make as women for women
You can get involved too by pledging what you will do to support the campaign and by remembering that a woman's word should be positive. You can find out more about the campaign here.
Me, I am just grateful for my body and what it gives me, freedom to run, exercise, jump, walk and the energy to work and play and I will continue to look after it so it will look after me.
How about you?
I'm off to look after my body with a little exercise, speak again soon.
Kirsty xxx
Website: www.fitinminutes.co.uk
Tiwtter: @getfitinminutes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IGotFitInMinutes
Instagram: @fitinminutes
