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A fitness expert has been hailed an “inspiration” after she shared a Facebook post telling readers of the "freedom" she feels from finally accepting her body.
Molly Galbraith, who owns the Girls Gone Strong fitness website, shared a photo of herself wearing a grey bikini on a beach on 1 January.
But unlike many other Facebook posts on 1 January, where users vow to transform themselves, Ms Galbraith declared: “this is by body”.
Challenging the weight loss photos that many gym-goers share online, she added: “This not a before picture. This is not an after picture. This just happens to be what my body looks like on a random Tuesday in December of 2015 — it's a LIFE picture.”
Drawing attention to how maintaining a healthy mind and body is a complex process, she wrote: “This is a body that loves protein and vegetables and queso and ice cream. This is a body that loves bent presses and pull-ups and deadlifts and sleep."
“Some people say they would “kill to have this body.” Others say they would “kill themselves if they had this body.” (Yes, unfortunately that's actually a thing humans say to one another.)”
The trainer goes on to reveal that 2016 is the first year that she has not made any reslutions to change how she looks.
“This is a kind of freedom I didn’t think I’d ever experience, and it feels really, really good," she said.
The post has since been liked over 114,000 times, and shared by over 16,000 Facebook accounts.
Facebook users have also flooded the post with praise.
Anna Greco wrote: “Thank you from all the women in the world who have felt like that .. and still feel like that because of how the media tells us how we need to look.. Good for you.. Simply Gorgeous.”
Another user, Shauna Alley Utz, told Ms Galbraith : “Your such an inspiration ! [sic] You have changed my life in a positive way. Thank you for your message.”
Ms Galbraith’s post is the latest in a trend which has seen people move away from attempting to achieve a “perfect” body, but rather striving to stay healthy and build strength.
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In 2015, a protein shake firm faced a backlash after posters put up on the London Underground featured a woman in a bikini alongside the words: “Are you beach body ready?”
Campaigners criticised the advert for suggesting that women should be ashamed to wear a bikini unless they have a speficic body type.
Speaking at the height of the UK controversy, marketing executive Richard Staveley defended the posters, saying: “This advert was based on a great deal of customer research, we’re giving them exactly what they wanted to see, it’s been a brilliant campaign for us.
“What we’re suggesting by ‘Are you beach body ready?’ is we’re asking if you as an individual have reached and attained your own goals that you set for yourself that are going to allow you to don your swimsuit.”
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