Fat Maths. Health History. An Education For Us All.

Daniel J. Boorstein wrote: “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, but the illusion of expertise.” Never have thirteen words so heartily encompassed the problems of the surprising variety of human societies, more so than their resounding representation of the modern health industry. 

Technology has undoubtedly allowed us to take instantaneous steps towards our fitness and health goals. From blogs to personal instagram accounts, social media is loaded with images that aim to influence; from the draw dropping seflies of sculpted men and women, to the #FitFam members posting daily meal prep and exercise regimes. Their cult-like following and rampant popularity has inspired a bitter sweet information environment, that has both dazzled and darkened the pursuit of great health and physical well being. 

On one hand, there is no shortage of exercise or dietary counselling, yet the sheer volume of information circulating is overwhelming and quite often misguided or unrealistic.The ironic contribution of this blog therefore, has not gone un-noticed. However unlike the cohort of dedicated and aesthetically enhanced sales men and women, I don’t possess any ulterior motives, hidden agendas, or organisational affiliations which could affect the integrity of this discussion. I’m not asking you to hire me as your personal trainer nor am I trying to sell you any products, bootcamps, or meal plans. I have nothing to gain other than to clarify and contribute to what I’ve found to work for me...and add a few comments and commentaries along the way. Basically, just one girl telling the world what has helped her to progress in the hope of generating a bit of inspiration and curious provocation.

FAT MATHS 101

Contrary to common belief, weight loss and maintenance does not have to involve suffering, sacrifice or deprivation. Essentially, flexible calorie intake or IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) is the foundation on which I have built my health mantra. This is a process where you track your food consumption, and aim for certain calorie and macronutrient targets. It preaches healthy habits and denotes moderation whilst encouraging nutritional awareness. The World Health Organisation advices that we consume approximately 2000 calories per day. However this figure is far too general and needs to be tailored according to your existing weight, height, lifestyle and activity levels.

Ranging between 9st 7- 9st 11, my personal calorie base line (calculated by height, weight and goal orientation) centres around averaging the consumption of 1500 calories every day. However, as I exercise almost daily, (some days this just entails going for a walk) the equation is impacted by the level and duration of activity I participate in. 

Put very simply, if I burn 500 calories on a run I get to eat 2000 calories because I am in a 500 calorie deficit e.g.

1500 (daily intake) + 500 (calories burned) = 2000 (today’s new calorie total) 

Realistically, calorie counting it is the most valuable component (invisably masked !)  in every fad diet on the market, because fundamentally:

 If you burn more calories than you eat....you will loose weight

If you eat fewer calories than you burn....you will loose weight

However, keep in mind that your body burns calories all day as part of your basel metabolic rate  (BMR), because it takes energy (calories) for your body to perform basic physiological functions that are necessary for life ( breathing, digesting etc). On top of that, discreet physical activity such as general movement, walking, house work and manual labour use even more calories. Consequently, you must never decrease your calorie intake to the degree of physical depravation as you need a certain amount of calories just to exist and function normally.

Never the less, if you love food, this method is a great way to utilise activity to manage your weight. Calorie flexibility means if you eat according to your calorie base line you can afford to indulge if you can balance your calories on a daily/weekly basis. Frustratingly, this theory possesses the ability to challenge almost everything we know, or think we know, about ‘healthy eating,’ nutrition and weight management. Fundamentally it’s the materialisation of a mathematical equation. There have been numerous examples of academics and nutritionists who have tested the theory by consuming unhealthy foods whilst staying within their calorie base line. This is why weight is not necessarily the greatest indicator of health because technically if I were to exclusively eat 1500 calories of chocolate everyday, I would still reach my goal weight. Therefore the most important distinction to emphasise in this post is that ‘Health’ and ‘Weightloss’ can be two completely constructs in the pursuit of optimal health and excellence. Arguably I have seen great results from IIFYM but that progression has also transpired from the fact that I have made health and fitness a dominant factor in my lifestyle, rather than simply a means to a dietary end.

Health History

As a subject of extremes, health and nutrition has captivated the modern era. However, we have been discombobulated with severe visual stereotypes which have left us feeling inadequate, unfulfilled and deflated in a no mans land of self persecution. To expand an excellent point made by the writer Mary Pipler, our culture has bench marked a standard of health that we cannot obtain by being healthy. When unnatural thinness or exaggerated muscularity became attractive and desirable, we began to source and utilise unnatural ways to achieve them. The acceptance of a one-dimentional appearance of health has occurred to the detriment of personifying healthy people.

 

As ‘Men’s Health’ eloquently noted, fruit and vegetables won’t have a single advertisement praising or promoting their nutritional benefits, because fresh produce doesn’t have a zillion dollar marketing department to pump out or pay roll content and campaigns. A deeper understanding of nutrition will be the primary prevention of disease in the future. The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison. Think about it... If your diet fizzy drink contains zero calories, zero sugar and zero fat, what the hell does it contain? In a chemically enhanced wonderland of genetically modified and preserved food substances, the consequences of nutritional choice transcends calorie intake to pose serious consequences for our health. For hazardous reasons beyond the basic discussion of this blog post the cheapest calories in the supermarket will continue to be the unhealthiest...and the most popular.

Paradoxically, orthorexia is an obsession with healthy eating. The first three letters in the word diet should tell you everything you need to know about how they will make you feel. Disciplined nutrition may bring you instagram notoriety, but what would garnish the meaningful moments of your life? What is the point of living to a hundred if you can’t enjoy birthday cake on your birthday or a hugemongous Christmas dinner during the festive season? It's unrealistic to expect yourself to be disciplined all the time, and quite frankly a little boring. You should be able to see friends, go out for meals, go on holiday, attend functions, and have a good time while eating because you’re able to make informed choices about the type, quality and QUANTITY of food you are consuming. (Hence the advantages of IIFYM).

Additionally, the word Fitness appears to allude to a promised land where all our physical and aesthetic aspirations will be achieved and sustained and we can live their happily ever after,drinking protein shakes, talking PB’s and the intracacies of technique. However this place does not and will not ever exist. Health serves as the reflection of the things we do and eat on a continual and daily basis. If we physically and nutritionally stop, limit or push ourselves too hard our health is guaranteed to suffer as a consequence. Training is a far more appropriate health philosophy to follow. To train means to continually develop and progress. It has no end game, only a focus on amerloiration. It involves being better than yesterday. Being more informed from the day before. That’s why great nutrition and optimal health has to be seen as a lifestyle and not some fleeting solution that you pick up and drop in January.

My priority is holistic health. Mind, body and soul. The most important thing to take from this blog is that we need to develop a healthy relationship with food and exercise. Health and fitness is a trial and error process of self discovery. Perhaps one of the most frustrating things is that there are no definitive answers. However, no matter the excuse, if you sacrifice your health for any duration of time, you’re making the wrong choice. Health flourishes from balance. Deplorable or draconian diets are a recipe for disaster, no matter how well you keep to your GDA.  Giving generic advice although helpful, is not absolute. We all need a little external inspiration but true motivation is an internal process. A healthy body is the greatest reflection of a healthy mind. Health affects the way we feel just as much as the way we look. It impacts your self esteem just as much as it influences your physical form. Spend a little time researching what’s relevant for you. 

The most valuable knowledge prevails from the application of information in context. The specific context of YOUR own life.

From Rockcliffe with love.

Ecliqueticism

Beyond life’s all consuming complexities there is a great foundation of simplicity. This stems from the inherent understanding that that secondary only to the necessity of oxygen, food and shelter; true and meaningful friendship is fundamental to our life long thri-vival. Beneath the surface of a tumultuous cultural environment where materialism and insincerity reign supreme, genuine friendship serves as a shining beacon of altruistic depth which personifies the fleeting moments of authenticity we all unconsciously aspire to attain.

Something I have recently learned is that wonderful people do not just happen. The most special and illuminating people have known great suffering, hardship, struggle and loss, and they have found their way out of the depths of darkness without acquiring the harshness of adversity. These people have an appreciation and understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a consideration that can only be learned through great humility. Fortunately this diffusion of greatness can change and challenge us in many ways. 

It is one of my greatest beliefs that we are destined to have different friends for different reasons. On one side of the spectrum you have your ‘day one’ onion peelers. These are the people with the uncanny ability to husk away the layers to the middle earth of your true self. They demand the real truths hidden behind superficial chitter chatter. In addition to this Kleenex crew, (who are also capable of a few laughs may I add!) there are also our good time guys and gals. These are the people who lift your heart and ease your worries and push you out your comfort zone. They enable us to draw great strength from their energy and vitality because positive vibes are overwhelmingly contagious. Paradoxically, there are the people who are as negatively influential as they are extremely valuable. Not everything or everyone is supposed to become an incremental pillar of support in your life. People will hurt, betray and deceive you. Ultimately, wisdom is the understanding that there is something to be learned from everyone you encounter: friend, family or undercover foe.

We all have imperious emotional and intellectual needs which need to be fulfilled beyond the solidarity of our own individual strength. True friendship is the recognition that we need someone to help us contextualise our daily highs and lows and the reciprocity of these moments is what cements the most sacred of relationships. However, genuine companionship cannot be sustained on the verbal and emotional diarrhoea of one person. In reality, friendship is a humble virtue. It need only be the awkward therapy which realises sometimes there are no right words, only heartfelt ones and it’s the importance of these unsensored emotives which brings people together and allows them to heal and flourish.

I’m the girl people usually laugh at before they enquire ‘How do you know them?’ because I’ll always be a champion of diverse and dynamics friendship. This is because from an early age I was taught the importance of generationally and socially diverse friendships. There is so much to be learned from people who are different from ourselves. They encourage us to broaden our knowledge and horizons beyond those established and accepted by the status quo. In this respect, friendship transcends something that merely exists to become something that deeply affects us. The most influential people in our lives are not passive observers, they are in the trenches dodging bullets, protecting and helping you battle on, without agenda and ulterior motive. A true friend knows what keeps you up at night. Your worries and fears, the secrets and people you have buried and the things you wish you could take back. Sadness, regrets and uncharacteristic behaviour bear no long term consequence because there is nothing so necessary for the sanity of man than to be a friend and receive friendship in return.

As a generation consumed by the international pursuit of happiness and prosperity, we know the ache of long absences between hello and goodbye. Luckily, the benevolent nature of real friendship simply requires a two line message to rekindle the warm glow of love and familiarity which understands the busy and relentless nature of our own lives. I have found it both a blessing and a torment to have friends all over the world, because part of your happiness and history will always be elsewhere. Thankfully the consequences of loving and knowing people in more than one place is counteracted by the extensive array of modern mediums which enable us to keep in touch at the swipe of a finger and the tap of a keyboard. This temporary eradication of geographical boundaries eases the ache of distance. Virginia Woolf, (the greatest victim of the Irish Leaving Certificate English curriculum) was convinced we are unable to process and complete emotions about the present, as they are only fulfilled with the passing of time. Retrospectively therefore, it’s only when these people leave that we realise their true value and contribution to the unity of our health and happiness.

Collectively, we are the personification of every friendship we have ever had whether these were positive or negative experiences. The way we conduct ourselves personifies an aspiration towards or in antithesis against reproducing these intimacies and relationships with others. Certain friendships may only last a short time whilst others may span childhood and influential decades. The effect of these positive acquaintances in serendipitous moments of mirth contextualise every heavy sigh and wearisome low. Some friendships serve a time and purpose whilst others get caught inside your heart and head stay there forever. The ability to remember the particulars of friendship may diminish over the years, but wholesome memories will always centralise around the way you make people feel. Ultimately, some people are meant to make cameo appearances in the interim chapters, while others are destined to be heroic protagonists.

While I’m almost certain I’m an acquired taste, I’m thankful for the people who embrace my quirks and strange sensibilities. Without you I most certainly would not be who or where I am today.  Thanks to an authentic circle and a few harsh life experiences, I have learned that pleasure, possessions and power have little consequence if we have no one to love or share our happiness with. Laughter of course; the wonderful bi-product of friendship, will always be the greatest remedy to counteract any of life’s ills because friendship is an amourous resilience to unavoidable externalities. Anne frank, a girl who had little reason to over exaggerate the goodness of humanity said : “despite everything I still believe people are good at heart.” There is nothing that counteracts unfortunate human faults and insufficiencies like the love a true friend.

From Donegal With Love.

TwentySomething

Almost...Probably one of the most unassuming words in the English dictionary, yet one that personifies all the ponderous complexities of  every ‘twentysomethings’ hopes, dreams, concerns and insecurities. 

Almost is an all consuming concept in my own life.  ‘Almost qualified’. ‘Almost fit enough’. ‘Almost there’. ‘Almost healthy’. ‘Almost happy’. For me, almost is the juxtaposition between 'isn’t life amazing' and 'isn’t life a constant uphill struggle', and for the past three years, ‘almost’ has dominated my twenties. 

It’s a secretive thing the concept of a quarter life crisis; a shameful dogma that might potentially result in our lifelong excommunication from 'cool' society. We continue to keep tight lipped about this generational phenomenon, perpetuating the illusion of mellowness and calm,  heavily cloaked behind a humorous facade or an instagram quote. Strangely, the stress of deadlock and indecision isn't an exclusive life experience reserved for those members of society consuming a litre bottle of buckfast a day. On the contrary, behind every closed door and every normative facebook account, most of us have all experienced (or are in the process of experiencing), a crippling sense of confusion, the bitter sting of disappointment and the overwhelming surge of bewilderment which precedes our important modern life choices. It's unsettling to not know what the future holds and, in a way, even more daunting to consider that what we are doing with our twentysomething selves might be determining it. Choice and freedom are wonderful things but they are also tied up in hard work, responsibility, potential failure, heartbreak, competition and rejection. Sometimes it feels easier not to know, not to choose, and not to act. Passivity is a twentysomething epidemic and the only thing scarier than an unfulfilled life is not knowing how to fulfil it.

 The influential decade which personifies your twentysomethings can feel overwhelmingly turbulent. There is an unspoken social succession to be or achieve certain things at certain stages. This twenties timeline encapsulates a sequence of conventional events, which politely unfold revealing a superficially fulfilled exterior that can often leave our internal selves plagued by a sense of lacking. Somewhere in a society of diverse choice, increased social and economic support and miscellaneous opportunity, we’ve accepted our wearisome fate between individual glimpses of self actualisation and fulfilment...because apparantly it's the done thing? Well I’m here to disagree and rally some much needed twenty something support, for the sake of my own mental health and yours. Arguably, we were never meant for social comformity. We are intended for individuality! That’s why we look different, enjoy different things and have different opinions. Consequently, the social pursuit of materialism and social media comparison have become infected sticky plastics across large gaping holes of unhappiness.  We're all exposed to huge distortioned images of each other and looking externally for contentment and reassurance is as beneficial as repeatedly banging your head against a brick wall.
 

Unashamedly I will be the first to admit that for the past 8,401 days I’ve been looking outward for inspiration, waiting on a luminous ray of light to guide my life choices. Until this choir of angels appear and let me in on the big inside joke, I’m beginning to realise how important it is to be an active and assertive in your own life. As narcissitic and philosophical as that sounds it’s the most effective method I’ve found in contextualising the bitter sweet circumstances of being a ‘twentysomething’. Setting small but achievable objectives, whether that’s running a half marathon or just ticking something off my bucket list, gives my life a little more focus in this era of crippling uncertainty. Admittedly, I’m a self confessed crazy ‘get your shit together girl’. But between the inescapable pressures, pulls and pushes of life I'm more determined than ever to turn into a diamond rather than a rag doll. 

Seemingly unless you’re Kim Kardashian every day is a little bit of a fight, a challenge, a battle of wills and as terribly negative as that sounds its true. We’re lead to believe realism is for the cynics in suits, when in reality it’s the philosophical building block of optimism. As a generation we’re excellent at preparing to live but absolutely abominable at the living part. We know how to sacrifice days, weeks and months of our lives for the delayed gratification of a new car, an exciting vacation, a designer watch or even a night out with friends. Realism however, is understanding that, the largest portions of our lives will be the nameless and uncalculated days between these events, when we’re all just living our normal lives. Day in, day out. It would be interesting therefore to consider that maybe the key to finding a sense of calm and contentment in your twenties, is not a question of achievement or possession, but an increased understanding of the importance of time. Are you spending time on WHAT and with WHO make you happy? Because time is all any of us have. 

Although I’m only 1/5 of the way into the life I hope to lead, I feel I’ve already had exposure to rich and influential life experience. Thankfully, I have known immense happiness, unconditional love, meaningful friendship and I have been fortunate enough to witness the passion and the inherent goodness of others. However, like most other twentysomethings I have also suffered the ache of sadness, the sting of rejection and the wrath of heartbreak. Nevertheless, it has been the loss of my own brother aged 21 that has taught me the most about life and what it means to live in your twenties. Liam was the materialisation of what it means to be proactively happy and ambitious, and no matter what this decade may throw at me, his life and loss will continue to ground me with a sense of focus and appreciation for what’s really important. All too often our overactive minds and runaway imaginations distort, delete, generalise and betray our own individual greatness and the endless possibilities we are capable of achieving. We are surrounded by serendipity, only somedays we're just required  to look a little harder than others.

  

Regardless of your employment status, educational credentials, current situation and location; the scariest part about being twentysomething is that you have more responsibility than you’ve ever had before. Responsibility to yourself, your future, responsibility to the ones you love. Shakespeare the talented and worldly man that he was said that there’s a fine line between a comedy and a tragedy. I think he was largely referring to the concept of love, but he could have quite easily have also intended to encapsulate the modern characteristics of a twentysomething’s career prospects. Your job is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied in life find a job that you find enjoyable and rewarding. The importance of being engaged and satisfied in our professional lives and the centrality of passion and interest in our personal development, will always be intrinsically connected. No child grows up wanting to work a 9 to 5 so they can ‘live’ at the weekend and as a young aspiring professional with a love for life, this will always be the kryptonite to a persuasive pay packet.

 It’s ironic that I sound like a girl with all the answers when truefully I’m just as lost as anyone. But when I’m sad or lonely or drowning in a sea of self pity and text books, I’ll look back at this post with a renewed sense of determination. If you too find yourself in a moment of twentysomething madness take a walk outside look up and the sky and take a deep breath. ‘The Secret’ in those shadowy moments of self doubt is to remember that if we learn to approach life with a blind optimism and a unrelenting enthusiasm to learn new things, meet new people and visit new places, we will never stray from a life of satisfaction and happiness. 

The person who you want to be is a much more powerful point of focus than concerning yourself with the stage that you’re currently at. The most challenging and significant relationship you will ever have is the one you have with yourself. Self love, isn’t vain or indulgent it’s a crucial survival technique for every tenacious ‘twentysomething’. If you find yourself in a place you don’t want to be, don't panic but definitely don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, sometimes it takes a few knocks to find the perfect fit. When I’m not listening to drake, contemplating life on public transport I realise just how lucky I am. If You're Reading This, it's Not Too Late for you to realise this too, because sometimes we're so concerned with the forest we forget to enjoy the trees.

 I’m on the sneaky search for a life less ordinary and I’m doing so through a commitment to proactive positivity. Life doesn’t begin with the best version of yourself, it starts every morning with the reminder that we will always have the power to refine our hopes, dreams and futures as we go. Today and Always.

 From a fellow twentysomething with love.

Let's Talk About 'Sex'

Any linguist worth their salt knows that a homonym is a word with multiple meanings. The rascality of this etymological device, may have intentionally been pervaded to deceive you into thinking that this was some sort of scandalous confession/discussion about the art of making love.....but thankfully for my parents it’s not. Because let’s face it, a blog entitled ‘Women’s Issues and Feminism’ sounds about as intriguing as a dark alley way offering ‘free hugs’.

For those of you who made it past that sneaky six line introduction, ‘Sex’ in this instance refers to the issue of female gender and an exploration into the pre-digested notions of what a woman is, who she should be and how she should behave. 

For many, feminism is a scary and weighted word and for those of us not quite sure, (and are quite frankly scared to ask!) it encompasses both the historical and present circumstances of women’s social, political and economic standing. The suffragettes may have been wonderful women who fought for our freedom to vote and the right to be individual and separate entities from our husbands, but what does it actually mean to be a modern day Feminist?

Arguably, modern Feminism can take many forms because progression isn’t about defining what females are, it’s about expanding the world view about what a woman CAN BE. Fortunately, many of us have the opportunity to choose our own paths, because the option to have choices is actually what the feminist movement sacrificed itself under the hooves of patriarchy for. Increased female enlightenment involves the right to pursue and enjoy individual perceptions of meaningfulness, whether that’s in the home or in the work place. It’s the insistence upon equal and respectful relationships with friends and partners bounded by a supportive and encouraging love. On an individual level, being a feminist involves a woman’s refusal to sell her talents and aspirations short because of your own responsibility to be the very best you can be. Although there is a small body of writing to suggest otherwise, I am determined to believe modern feminism involves the encouragement and support of other women regardless of how their own opinion and life choices differ from ours. The importance of a sisterhood for me, is integral and like every grand theory, this can be explained with an anecdote similar to the story of Einstein’s humble apple. 

In 2015, I tweeted about the controversy surrounding Calvin Klein’s photo campaign and use of a model who, the media were largely referring to as ‘a plus side model’. To my absolute mortification, an overzealous American feminist featured my tweet in an article titled ‘The 20 Most Misguided Tweets About Plus Sized Model’s’...Horrifically awkward as I’m sure you can imagine. 

I can’t remember exactly what I said, (genuinely!) but the experience taught me two things about feminism. One, that it is extremely important even in our increasing politically correct world to fearlessly exercise your own opinion, as long as you are respectful to others. And the second is that regardless of whether or not you agree with the actions or speech of another woman, feminism isn’t a competition to reach the illusion of some non-existent moral high ground where only the ‘best women’ live. 

I never want to be the type of woman to make another feel inferior, intellectually, emotionally or physically. I’m only concerned with empowerment because no matter what, happy and fulfilled girls are always the prettiest, and they are always the first ones to reach out their hands to help others. I pride myself on choosing to be around strong women because the really great thing is that they make you feel great too and that's an admirable quality regardless of gender.

It’s also important to remember Feminism and gender equality isn’t some female Vs. male showdown either. In her UN speech, Emma Watson said that gender equality cannot be achieved without the engagement and participation of men. Although they say that behind every great man is a great woman, it would be interesting to think about how many great women have had encouraging male role models behind them. A lesser known fact is that Feminism is an issue that affects everyone, and for the future husbands and fathers who may be reading this, that’s something to contemplate for the next generation of empowered wives and daughters. Fortunately, my Dad has been one of the most influential people in my life and for better or worse, his quiet persistence has never tolerated me to be anything less than what I am capable of being. Treating women as equals does not mean we ignore our differences. As Caitlin Moran notes, 'Men' and 'The Man' are two very different things. So as determined as feminism may be in sticking it to 'The Man', the majority of us still love 'The Men'. 

Although it’s alarmingly evident first thing in the morning and to my unfortunate relatives, friends and favourite snap chatters, I’m not here to be beautiful. I’m here to try and make an impression on the world. I’m not naive enough to think that my face, body or the way I present myself haven’t helped me in life, but beyond these externalities, our existence as females is not defined by how physically desirable other people perceive us to be. 

It’s especially important that young girls understand that although there’s power in looking good and feeling confident, beyond the superficiality of makeup, clothing and a peachy bum, ultimately it’s not how you dress but what you dress that matters. 

Intelligence, wit, determination, talent and kindness are potent powers which will take you the extra mile in life. The aim of feminism is to develop strong-minded, strong-hearted, strong-willed, and strong-bodied women. Together we ladies can work beyond the sexist jokes and the woof whistles because we’re making distinct progress every day. Whether that’s a single unemployed mother finding work and support, or the inauguration of the next powerful female political leader. 

As the formidable and accurate saying goes, there is a special place in hell reserved for women who don't help other women. I couldn’t very well preach about female empowerment without talking about my lovely fellow blogista’s who are lighting the torch for young, Irish females with a ‘can do’ attitude. Although they need no introduction, take a look at these very talented ladies by using the links below.

From Edinburgh With Love.

  

Alana Mc Conalogue www.caloriesandcarbs.net

Sara Ryan www.noglitzjustglam.com

Nicola Mclaughlin www.thesequincinderella.com