Let's get aquainted. Anya, internets. Internets, Anya.

Let’s get this straight: I’m not a fat person. This is not a blog about numbers, pounds, or calorie counts. Not to say that I don’t think I have a weight issue, but simply because I think the above method of weightloss is inhumane and unsustainable. Personally, I am prone to carbohydrate binges, cravings and baking marathons, - which, in combination with the sporadic schedule of a working university student leaves little time for meal planning. This also means I’m on a budget and am under slept most of the time. (Is this beginning to sound familiar?)

After saying this I have the urge to cringe. Yes, it’s true my insane schedule doesn’t leave time to cook meals ahead of time, to plan regular workouts into my workweek, and leaves me exhausted by the time the weekend comes around (and it’s time to put in 16 paying work hours). But why have I put myself into this situation in the first place? At which point did I decide to compromise my health? Taking on a full university course load, 16 work hours a week, 10 volunteer hours a week, a fish, a rat and a cat – why do I give all those things priority, but not my own health? Is the reason somehow linked to my dislike of my physical appearance? I certainly think it is. Little by little, I’m beginning to realize that the reason I’m out of shape, run down, depressed and tired is my external environment’s fault just as much as it is my lack of commitment to my own health.

And this, my dears, is what the blog is about.

I will brutally analyze myself in terms of my eating, sleeping and exercise habits in order to produce a happy, healthy person as the end result. My methods will exclude anything I do not have before starting this blog – like herbal supplements, elaborate gym equipment or a trainer. I’m going to find out why I (and the nation), are overweight and unhappy. I will read books, watch movies and embarrass myself and my non-existent audience by talking about uncomfortable subjects along the way, because…because this blog isn’t about making things look effortless. It’s about honesty, and approaching fitness, happiness and food from a realistic perspective.

Why now? Because after two decades of living, I realized that if I plan on spending the rest of my life understanding worldwide corruption and the patterns of human behavior, I must stand strong on my own two feet and first understand myself. Also, because I wish my mother did this before having me, so she would have more self-confidence, self-discipline and self-love to raise me with. As such, I feel this blog is valuable on an endless number of levels – to mums, teenagers, parents, brothers, babysitters. It’s valuable to everyone who serves as a role model at one point in their life, because through this blog I hope to discover ways of personal empowerment that the government can’t tax and skinny Vogue models can’t shatter.

Friends, foes and acquaintances, I invite you along for the journey of one person’s reconstruction from the base up. A lot of muck, frustration and hopefully inspiration are to follow. Whether your interest lies in beating me down with criticism or holding me up with the crutches of encouragement, I welcome you all.