Highlight Reel vs Behind the Scenes

In many fitness photos I post on social media I’m guessing most people see a lean, confident girl having a good day, feeling happy and enjoying being in the spotlight, when in reality the situation for me last year was quite different.

When you see the result of a professional photoshoot you don’t see the weeks and months of hard work behind the scenes, nor can you see any of the real emotion from that day, or the pain I was in because I was in fact unwell. Having caught a cold a couple of weeks prior to the shoot that I couldn’t shake off, which led to my bowel disease symptoms appearing, along with major fatigue, stress and mood swings. I even broke out in a stress rash on my tummy and legs a few days before this and it completely ruined my confidence.

I was at the doctors every few days for blood tests and monitoring because my immune system couldn’t fight a common cold and I was tired and wanted to cancel the shoot. I went ahead so as not to let anyone down as everything had been booked for months. I was uncomfortable, sore and bloated and had to try to hide it. I had to stay in the gym until 9pm that night and coach clients and again work the following morning and was wondering how I was going to manage.

This photo shows me rolling my eyes and wishing the shoot, and the whole day would be over! Moral of the story is this photo (and every professional fitness photo) is just one second of that day. I am HUMAN, I’m far from perfect inside or out. Don’t ever compare your every day to someone’s highlight reel because you never know what someone has had to / is going through behind their scenes!

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