Sophie KayA personal trainer and blogger is making headlines after a Tumblr post in which she debunked fitness myths and proved that those inspiring "before and after" pics on Instagram can actually be quite deceiving.
"I wrote the post because as a personal trainer and a fitness blogger I've felt a lot of pressure to look a certain way and I'd just had enough!" Sophie Kay tells E! News. "I'm only ever going to look like me so once I embraced that then I started to love my body and I want other people to love their bodies, too."
"As a Personal Trainer and a fitness blogger I can see a lot of pressure in the industry to look and act a certain way which can be rather stressful and damaging for some people," Kay wrote in her Tumblr post. "The world of perfect abs, long legs and sweat-free faces on Instagram portrays an image of fitness that is fun, easy and full of happiness. It can be all of these things but it can also be tiring, tough, demoralizing and grump-inducing when you're getting up and it's still dark outside. Plus, no one actually looks perfect if they're working out properly!"
She went on to shoot down a number of myths about diet and exercise while simultaneously making us feel better about the fact that we'll never live up to those sexy workout selfies (you know the type we're talking about).
Posting what appears to be a before-and-after shot in her bra and underwear, the 27-year-old blogger explained that her transformation was simply due to a few simple tricks.
"All I did in the three minutes between the two photos was to turn off the overhead light, put on underwear that fit better, twist my body slightly to the side to show off my best angle, flex and, of course, add a filter. So don't pay much attention to those ‘before and after' shots!"
As for the second fitness myth? Kay said you don't have to have a six-pack in order to be considered healthy and fit.
"Having a six-pack just means that your body fat percentage is low enough to be able to see your abs," she wrote. "Also, the shape of your abs is totally dependent on your genetics, some people can get a six-pack, some can't. For the majority of people the lifestyle you have to live to achieve and maintain them would stop them living a normal life free from counting every single calorie. Also, ladies, having such a low body fat percentage might stop your periods. Surely that can't be good for you."
She added, "I prefer a bit of definition and that's about it for me!"
Preach, girl.
Kay also said it's a myth that personal trainers live like saints and shares a pic of herself indulging in a giant slice of pizza. "I love to eat anything and everything...It's all about living a balanced lifestyle," she wrote. "Indulge when you want to but get to know your body and understand what it wants and when."
And, while Instagram may beg to differ, she insists exercise is not easy—and you shouldn't look pretty while doing it.
"If it is easy then you're not pushing yourself," she explained. "And if you're not pushing yourself then you won't make any progress and reach your goals."
"The real side of fitness is early mornings, freezing hands and ears in winter," she continued. "Ridiculous sports bra tans in summer, stinging sweat in your eyes, not bothering to wash your hair because you're only going to get sweaty again tomorrow, permanent hand callouses, blistered feet and stiff muscles. But all of this adds up to feeling alive, proud and on top of the world."
She concluded by shooting down the perception that "you have to able to run really fast" in order to be fit. "Have you seen me run? It's not pretty, it's not fast but I get the job done," she admitted. "If you run you are a runner, if you lift you are a lifter, if you spin you are a spinner, it doesn't matter how fast, how heavy or how much you do it. Just get out there and give it a go, you'll amaze yourself."
No Instagram proof necessary.
—Reporting by Sara Kitnick