A friend recently paid me the nicest compliment in an email – “I am loving your Instagram posts…I’m in awe of your exercising, baking, getting-Max-to-sleep-12-hours mothering style. Tell me your secrets!!! ”
It felt so good to hear, and while my posts are meant to be informative about healthy food, and inspire others to exercise and teach their kids how to sleep (a recent passion of mine;); Instagram is my curated life.
I definitely don’t share the moments when I’m eating pizza and drinking a cosmo, or was forced to buy the non-organic roast chicken because I have about 30 minutes to grocery shop (this means running through the store with Max in the Bjorne) and can’t wait for the free-from chickens to come out of the oven. Or the day I bought a big pack of Dove soap because it was on sale even though I know there are some not-so-pure ingredients in there.
I don’t snap a pic of myself waiting for my self-tanner to soak in (yes, I use self-tanner once a week because who doesn’t feel better with a bit of colour on their face). And sometimes I put it on my tummy because it makes my post-baby chub a little less noticeable.
My selfies are either half my face or happen with a hat and sunglasses on unless I’ve just come back from getting my hair done.
I didn’t share how I skipped my Thursday gym class last week to stay in, have butter chicken (it was a healthier version though) and a couple glasses of white wine while watching Bachelorette Canada (to be fair, I made up for it the next morning by getting up at 6am to do a workout). I don’t post the days that my 4 month old doesn’t nap, is screaming in the car seat or both the monitors are blazing red.
I love Instagram, but sometimes it can have the opposite effect of inspiration, and make us feel worse about our efforts to lose weight, be a good mom, or try to make healthier choices because we feel we don’t measure up to what others are doing out there. I will continue with my usual posts to help people live a healthier lifestyle, but maybe I’ll go out on a limb and post the good, bad and the ugly. Would that be more inspiring?
This post is amazing! I totally relate. I love “real” instagram photos but your healthy food and exercise posts are inspiring too.