Speaking of Valentines (the last couple of blogs), the 1989 film “Shirley Valentine” follows the holiday adventures and ‘reawakening’ of “bored 42-year-old ……….. whose life and initially enriching marriage has settled into a narrow and unsatisfying rut ………… she feels as if her husband and children treat her more like a servant.”
A scene from it popped into my head recently and I made a note for this blog.
In a flashback, Shirley is remembering her teenage self trying to answer a question in a school assembly.
The teacher asks “What was man’s most important invention?”
Shirley knows the answer.
But her raised hand is ignored by the teacher as others are given an attempt.
“Oh, do put your hand down, Shirley. You couldn’t possibly know the answer.”
After everyone has got it wrong, the teacher finally gives young Shirley a go.
“Oh, very well, Shirley. You might as well get it wrong along with everybody else.”
“Miss, it was the wheel” Shirley correctly answers.
“Somebody must have told you!” the teacher responds in dismissal.
“Well, how the bleeding hell else could I learn it?”
“Be quiet!”
“Well, Miss, it’s not fair!”
And it wasn’t fair.
Because that’s how we all learn stuff.
Someone tells us.
Either verbally or in the written form.
If we don’t know something, we don’t know something.
Someone telling us is exactly what needs to happen.
Especially nowadays when there’s almost “too much” information out there.
Often conflicting.
Confusing.
We often think we’re doing the right thing but are missing out the key parts.
“Eating healthily” by having more fresh stuff…………….
But not losing weight because we’re not in a calorie deficit.
Increasing our calorie intake by having “full fat” soft drinks because we’ve heard low calorie ones are poisonous (they’re not).
Forcing ourselves to eat breakfast (and, potentially, consuming more overall) because people keep telling us it does something magical to our metabolism (it doesn’t).
Thinking we need to love exercise and find it “addictive” in order to do it (we don’t).
Believing exercise needs to be done several times per week for an hour or two to be worthwhile (it doesn’t).
Being led to believe that changes to our Basal Metabolic Rate (energy requirements at rest) over time make losing weight impossible rather than just harder.
And so on!
There are plenty of people out there who confuse and mislead us.
Unlike Shirley Valentine’s teacher, we know there is massive advantage to being told / reminded of certain things (like how I keep reminding you about how to apply for a place our 4 Week Kickstart, which is designed to help people drop that first 10 or so pounds whilst forming lasting healthy habits without having to do boring exercise they hate and give up their favourite foods, because I know it’s the best thing you could do for yourself –> www.myrise.co.uk/apply)
Much love,
Jon ‘Crabtree’ Hall
