life’s too short to think it’s too late

2022

Hello!

This morning (as I write this), I went for an appointment to be fitted for my first pair of pointe shoes as an adult dancer. I have not been fitted for pointe shoes since I was probably about 10, but I thought if I’m going to put my body through dancing en pointe, I’m definitely going to make sure I’m getting the right support I need for my now-creakier joints!

It was a lovely experience – I went to ‘A Dancer’s World’ in Northampton and there was absolutely no judgement that I’m a plus size lady in her mid twenties who clearly isn’t a professional dancer, they spent plenty of time helping me try lots of shoes and explaining why the ones I ended up getting were the best ones for me.

And they even had lots of options of leotards for me to try! Online, I have found one brand that stock leotards in my size and since I bought one back in the Spring, they’ve stopped doing my size, but having four to choose from felt so amazing (though trying them on in a 30 degree heatwave wasn’t quite so amazing 😂).

Although I’m not a professional dancer and buying this point shoes isn’t for the sake of training or taking exams or anything like that, I’m actually excited to starting dancing in them, getting stronger and pushing myself to improve at something I love!

Over the last month or two whilst I’ve been thinking about this investment, I’ve wondered if there was any point (ba dum tsh) – I’m not training to be a dancer, I’m not even very good at ballet; why would I spend so much money not just on the shoes but the extra class and the time commitment when there won’t be much of a reward in the long term?

Because life is too short not to do things you love! I’m never going to be a prima ballerina and realistically, there’s a huge chance that I’m not really ready for pointe yet, but I’ve been back at dance for a year now and I want to push myself! Is it any different to trying something new at the gym?

I feel like as we get older, trying new things becomes harder not just because of the time, the money and the availability, but because of the social stigma associated with it.

Want to try a new sport? Well there’s a beginner class every other Thursday or England trials are in October. Want to try a new hobby? There’s a children’s sewing class, or a knitting group with mostly elderly ladies who don’t really like change and will look at you like you just stepped on a kitten for even daring to show up to their group.

I can’t think of anymore examples, but I’ve found it’s really difficult to try new things as an adult! But life’s too short to say ‘I’m too old for that’ – if you want to try something, isn’t it better to have tried and looked a bit silly than not tried and always wondered what it was like?

Maybe I’m projecting my own insecurities and no one actually thinks this, but it’s definitely a mental barrier I’ve had to overcome – pushing myself to be a better dancer, doesn’t have to be ‘for’ anything, it can just be to be a better dancer! To get fitter and stronger and to relax in a way that I enjoy.

It’s never too late to try something new, and life’s too short to feel too old!

Thank you for reading,

Sophie xx

slow progress is progress! | unfitness update

2018, fitness, lifestyle, mental health

Hello!

I didn’t intend to write this blog post today at all, in fact I’d written out an entire blog post about relationships inspired by my three year anniversary with my boy on Monday (remember, remember the 5th of November but not for the reason you think!) but then this morning I did a new workout program thing and I felt so good and inspired and motivated that I was super inspired to do a fitness update, so here goes!

As I’ve documented here, there and everywhere I’ve been on somewhat of a health kick with my diet, I’m not ‘dieting’ but I’m making sustainable life changes that I needed to make in order to live a healthier life.

Going hand in hand with this, at the end of October I got in contact with the Principle of my old dance school and offered to help out if they needed anything. So I now work as a volunteer on reception in exchange for free dance classes and with that in mind, I’ve been going to two tap classes and dancing again!

It’s so silly, but I’d put on so much weight that stupid things like running, going up to stairs too fast and jumping were just completely out of my comfort zone because it hurt but I went to tap class and I jumped again. I tap spring toe hopped my way around the studio for 45 minutes and I had the time of my life, I love tap so much and I can’t express how much I enjoyed it.

So now that going to tap class and being a receptionist were part of my routine, I was ready to put some structure back into my life – and I was ready to try working out again.

I’d fallen out of love with the treadmill and the rowing machine, but I remembered I used to love using the Nike Training app and they could build programs based on your equipment availability, fitness level and free time. So whilst I was having my breakfast this morning I set up a new program, fit the workouts to times that suited me and then I did a 30 minute beginners low intensity floor to core workout.

It was hard, I’ll be honest it was quite challenging – it pointed out things I need to mention at the doctors next week (I’ve got lots of back/joint problems, will update if it’s relevant!) but I did it! Half an hour of mostly consistent muscle workout, the only exercises I really didn’t feel comfortable doing were the ones where I had to put body weight pressure on my wrists because apparently my wrists are really weak? Learn something new every day!

But I felt so amazing after I’d done it! I lay on my bed just to get my breath back a bit and I felt on top of the world – I felt like I wanted to look after myself more and I was more motivated to eat well today so I don’t ruin the exercise. It’s little things like I wanted to use a body scrub in the shower and moisturise because I’ve noticed my skin has been a bit dry recently and I actually found the motivation to do something about it.

It was the first time in weeks that I updated the ‘unfitness’ highlight on my Instagram and I actually really enjoyed looking back on the progress I’ve made. Since I started that highlight 14 weeks ago I’ve noticed a significant difference in my physical fitness (even if it’s not ‘good’ it’s way better than it was before), my approach to the whole thing is less ‘I have to do it so I need to get it done’ and now more working with my body and my mind to find something that works for me and that I enjoy long term and I’m seeing results for the first time in years!

I’ve been tracking my weight in my bullet journal since June and between June and September, I was floating around the same weight within 5 or 6 pounds and it was a number I hated. On my October 1st weigh in I noticed significant loss and in the month since then I’ve worked hard, both on diet, exercise and restraint and I’m now getting close to having lost almost a stone. It’s nothing revolutionary, no diet pills or crash dieting, just making healthier life choices and boy I had the weight to lose.

This isn’t the end of my journey (sorry mum, she hates that word!) but I’m so excited to discover a healthier and fitter me – I will have to continue and adapt, learn more about food and nutrition and when the weight loss starts to tail off I will have to focus more on exercise and maybe within a year I’ll have the body I want and I’ll have a positive relationship with exercise and diet, as well as it being sustainable and long term.

My advice (not that anyone asked or qualified to answer) if you feel like you’re stuck or you’re bored – listen to that part of your brain, maybe you need a few weeks off, but you’ll find inspiration in something you enjoy. Going for a walk, going to the gym, doing yoga videos, finding a class – there is a way, you just have to put effort into working with your mind and body to find it.

As always, any tips or suggestions are welcome as I still have a very long way to go and could use all the help I can get!

Thank you for reading,

Sophie xx

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why I love dancing

2017, lifestyle, student

Hello!

Today’s post is completely unplanned because I was going to do a photography post today but I have a fairly big idea and I forgot and ran out of time and it’s been a very busy day today so here we have a very random ramble idea.

Today I have my first dance competition of the 2016/2017 season and I’m both excited and dreading it (I have to be at uni at 5am and it’s a long, long day of a lot of sitting around) – dancing is something I’ve done for as long as I can remember, I started ballet at aged 3 and tap and modern age 9 or 10 and I joined hip hop at various dance schools and ages but I’ve always danced and sometimes I miss going to classes every week and doing exams and big shows.

But at uni I tried out for the jazz and hip hop teams in first year and I got on the jazz team and this year (my second year) I got onto the jazz and the hip hop teams. We learn a routine and each team trains for 2 hours a week and then we have competitions in February and March.

I just love it – I love performing in front of an audience and having a huge mat with a sprung floor and sometimes I wish I had a space like that to myself to just put on music and improvise but comps are just so much fun.

I love dancing because it’s so expressive – if I’m choreographing it’s to a song I feel an emotional connection to and I throw everything into it. Dancing can bring you to tears and make you so happy and you can learn so much about yourself. It’s also really good exercise, especially if you’re on your own because you don’t worry about other people watching or making a mistake.

Conclusion from this blog post: I really need to rent a dance studio and spend some time by myself just choreographing and have a really good time. I’m not going to be dancing with my uni team again next year so I’m going to have to find a way to keep dancing, let me know if you’re interested in hearing more about my dancing!

I’m not that good at dancing and I don’t have the figure for it, but I love it with all my heart. It’s not a career for me but I feel like being able to dance for myself could be a massive benefit for my health, physically, emotionally and mentally.

Thank you for reading,

Sophie xx

La La Land review | film

2017, music, student

Hello!

I’ve never really ventured into film reviews before but I didn’t like the idea for the blog post I had intended to write today and I saw La La Land last night so I thought I’d share my thoughts!

Disclaimer: don’t get me wrong, I like this film, I just didn’t love it. Solid 6/10. Also this is an attempt at a spoiler free review but there may be some minor details, no massive plot spoilers.

With 14 Oscar Nominations, two in Best Original Song, and all of the hype all over the internet, I had really high hopes for this film being a newer version of Singing in the Rain and Summer Holiday – the classic musicals I love and grew up with.

And part of this is my fault I think – seeing all the hype and adoration online, I decided I loved it before I went in so when I actually saw the film in the end out and came out with a dry eye and disappointment, I can’t entirely blame the film.

The music is obviously one of the biggest parts of the film – the opening number is so incredible and I thought that it would set the tone for the rest of the film; huge vocals, massive dance numbers and gorgeous block colour costumes… and then it wasn’t.

I have a musical theatre background and appreciation – I love huge, strong voices like Carrie Fletcher, Alfie Boe, Ramin Karimloo and that’s what I expected from a film that was so heavily inspired by Singing in the Rain and I hate to say that Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone don’t follow through. They can definitely sing and in ‘The Fools Who Dream’ (my favourite song in the entire film by a long shot, though the others are brilliant too) Emma shows a sign of that full on West End voice but until that point they both sound like they’re not quite giving it their all? It sounds quite raspy and breathy and I just felt it didn’t match the jazz music it went with.

And I have similar thoughts on the dancing I’m afraid – as someone who’s favourite dance style is tap and I was really excited to see some really good dancing, my main criticism is that there wasn’t enough dancing and the dancing they did was basic as anything, I’ve seen kids under 10 years old doing what they could do. I know Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling aren’t dancers, but their characters were meant to be in an industry where dancing is kind of important and it really let me down that the scene that the movie poster takes it’s picture from wasn’t this huge dance sequence.

The story itself I do like – the struggling artist, what it’s like to try and get into the industry and the different stages of a relationship and ‘what could have been’, from that point of view the film was quite realistic (apart from the random bursting into song, that’s a given for musicals that we pretend it’s normal). The story and the script were brilliant and the intent was in the right place but personally I wouldn’t say it was successful.

One thing I thoroughly praise is the diversity in this film – the first character to sing is a tall, gorgeous black woman, there are people of all shapes, sizes and colours and roles are not bound by gender stereotypes. The example I use for this is when Mia is working in the cafe, she had a female manager and all the cafe staff were female, however when she returns at the end the manager is male. It’s the little details and they really worked.

I also very highly recommend watching Dodie Clark and Daniel J Layton talking about the film – Dodie adores the film whilst Dan doesn’t have the same obsession for it and they both have some really interesting thoughts. Though, these reviews aren’t spoiler free but they’re worth the watch once you’ve seen the film.

But what do you think? Have you seen La La Land? My social media are linked below, let’s start a discussion!

Thank you for reading,

Sophie xx