Me, Myself & Selfies without Make Up

Time for a Monday Moan. And I have chewed this particular one over for a few days now, as in - is it worth a post? What is it that's so grating, for me? Are there deeper issues here (well the answer to this almost always is ye, obviously)?

Unless you have spent last week blissfully sans Internet, you surely have come across the odd (pah!) No Make-Up selfie, all for a great cause - to raise cancer awareness and money for Cancer Research UK. You couldn't log onto Facebook, Twitter etc without coming across photos with the #nomakeupselfie tag. And here is the thing: After the 20th or so picture popping up, I started to get irritated. Aaaaand then another one. Ok, awareness raised, money donated. But did it stop? Not for another few days. Like a crippling spring flu, it had gone viral.

Now, this campaign did raise £2million for the charity, which is a fantastic achievement. Especially if you consider that it grew organically, and, seemingly wasn't organised as such by any charity or PR agency. Cancer Research UK confessed to being "overwhelmed with donations and support". So all's well that ends well, right?

Hm.I suppose what bothers me started out with the question what a make-up free face has to do with cancer. Is the act of taking a selfie without make-up so harrowing, that the audience is supposed to think "Well done you, that is very brave. Having seen your selfless act, here's my donation"?

Well, five selfies in and up popped one pseudo-make-up free one. Eyeliner and mascara very evident. And I received many that had clearly been the umptienth one taken, at "that" angle, filters applied etc. It got so bad that I asked myself what the point was if people were clearly cheating. Surely the whole point was lightyears away from a vanity project, which turned out to be a double whammy: "Not only am I a very charitable person, see, I am also flawless without make up!" I could almost insert a smug "Yippee" here.

Some of the #nomakeupselfies didn't fool anyone.

As one can guess, I am not a fan. If people are truly inspired, please go to to the Cancer Research website, where you can donate any amount - one off, monthly, whatever suits you - for a fantastic cause. No need to shout about it, do something nice for the sake of it, regardless of your facebook or twitter friends knowing about it. Trust me, it will make you feel better than looking at your photoshopped selfie.

Sugar, Sugar

OK so I have cheated. While I have not given in to chocolate and dutifully don't add sugar, the white stuff the devil wants us to eat (if you haven't heard WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Every blog and media outlet has been shouting it from their keyboards that sugar is the devil), to my coffee, I have eaten bread. And oat granola in the mornings.

And I just had an update from a very good friend that any smug consumption of maple or agave syrup does not put a halo on your head - while you may have read all about how GOOD these natural sweeteners supposedly are, and Gwyneth's first cook book (I could not bring myself to purchase the second) is positively glowing in its "good for you" glory, a new study has found (and I will find out where this was undertaken. Well, if I can be bothered. Which, to be honest, isn't much right now) that your actual BODY hasn't read about that, and sees sugar as sugar. No matter the source. Organic, natural syrup, does exactly the same to your body as the nasty white stuff.

So there. I have digressed. For a truly sugar free diet more effort has to be made on my part to really exclude sugar. So no more oat granola in the mornings, no dried fruit, actually no fruit at all then (sob). No wheat or any carbohydrates as your body converts them straight into sugar. Apparently.

Well. Even I sound disenchanted (what a lovely word, instead of "F**k this") by all this, and while I will continue to strive to eat healthier, I doubt I have the making of a food-Nazi. Boom, negative association made, so now I can't go back, even if I wanted to.

Now hand me that apple!

Lent. First day of - and not laughing.

Lent. Now here is something that is seriously no laughing matter. Especially since, as of Ash Wednesday, I am giving up sugar. For Lent or, possibly, for life.

Also I have vowed to make exercise a daily part of my life. Only 30 minutes per day should do, but every day, no excuses. So.

Timing couldn't have been better. Large row with my beloved, possibly brought on by the stress of anticipating cravings, a sort of preemptive sugar withdrawal meltdown.

But every cloud etc., so here's the silver lining: I have created a new exercise phenomenon (at least, to me it is). Not only does it have many of the benefits of Pilates, it is also strangely freeing. If a little emotionally draining, possibly, for some. I am not sure, personally I feel better after a good cry.

So here's this new thing I have created: SOBILATES. Yep, doing Pilates while crying / sobbing. Strictly an at-home thing, I can't see classes coming to your area any time soon. Also make extra doubly (?) sure you stay well hydrated with some extra water on hand.

Goodness. How many weeks until Easter?

Stay strong, have a laugh.