Energize Awards 2013

Well the last twelve months have flown by and what a year it has been.

Snow delaying the restart of Swimming After Surgery (SAS) at Short Wood Primary School Pool in Wellington.

New members attending the sessions and making us realise how valuable what we do is for their confidence.  Now many are volunteering in the community which is an added bonus.

Last night was an eye opener.  We had been nominated for Community Project of the year at the Energize Awards.  Last year not one of the ladies wanted their photograph taken in public. This year was totally different, the ladies agreed to go up on stage in a group to receive our finalist certificate.  We didn't win but the fact we get recognition for all the hard work and support we offer meant a lot.

After the wonderful dinner the nominees and winners of the awards were announced.  When it came to our category our founder couldn't look at anyone she was shaking like a leaf.  The emotion was just a bit too much for her.

Then we all went up on stage to collect our certificate from Tessa Sanderson.  This was a massive moment for all of us.

When Fiona explained this was our first public photograph taken since surgery Tessa said she would catch up with us later and certainly kept to her word.

Fiona not only helps organise and run Swimming After Surgery (SAS) she is very keen on sport herself and for a couple of years she trained at Rowley Park, Stafford where she learnt to throw javelin from her wheelchair.  This gave Tessa and Fiona something to talk about.  For fun Tessa had also brought along her Olympic Torch from the relay held last year for the London 2012 Olympics.

Just as we were collecting ourselves together to leave James Bond (yes that is his real name) from Radio Shropshire was talking to us about the project.  He wondered if he could do an interview at the swimming pool.  Fiona explained that due to the nature of the project this would not be possible.  James soon understood why and asked if we would do an immediate interview for Radio Shropshire whilst at the venue of Shrewsbury Football Club.  We all agreed much to Fiona's surprise and delight.

The interview was very relaxed and friendly and everyone forgot there was a microphone being used.

This shows just how far the ladies who have needed the help and support of Swimming After Surgery (SAS) have come along a very hard and difficult journey following breast cancer surgery.

If any lady who has had or is going through cancer surgery and needs support please do not hesitate to pick up the telephone and ask for help we have been their ourselves and are more than happy to support and help in anyway we can.

8 Inspirational Body Confidence Quotes

8 Inspirational Body Confidence Quotes

Post By: Kelly Ward

1. “Girls of all kinds can be beautiful – from the thin, plus-sized, short, very tall, ebony to porcelain-skinned; the quirky, clumsy, shy, outgoing and all in between. It's not easy though because many people still put beauty into a confining, narrow box...Think outside of the box...Pledge that you will look in the mirror and find the unique beauty in you”  - Tyra Banks

2. “I have a crumble baby belly, boobs are worse for wear after two kids...I'm doing all right. I'm 33. I don't look in the mirror and go, "Oh, I look fantastic!". Of course I don't. Nobody is perfect. I just don't believe in perfection. But I do believe in saying, "This is who I am and look at me not being perfect!". I'm proud of that.” Kate Winslet

3. “Step Away from the Mean Girls…
…and say bye-bye to feeling bad about your looks.
Are you ready to stop colluding with a culture that makes so many of us feel physically inadequate? Say goodbye to your inner critic, and take this pledge to be kinder to yourself and others. 

This is a call to arms. A call to be gentle, to be forgiving, to be generous with yourself. The next time you look into the mirror, try to let go of the story line that says you're too fat or too sallow, too ashy or too old, your eyes are too small or your nose too big; just look into the mirror and see your face. When the criticism drops away, what you will see then is just you, without judgment, and that is the first step toward transforming your experience of the world.” – Oprah Winfrey

4. “You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.”  - Amy Bloom

5. “Even the models we see in magazines wish they could look like their own images.” – Cheri K. Erdman

6.“I try not to be neurotic; I try to create and present healthy body image” – Kimora Lee Simmons 

7. “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are “– Marilyn Monroe

8. “It’s not what you are that holds you back. It’s what you think you’re not” – Denis Waitely

Do you have a favorite confidence quote? We would love to hear it in the comments below. Please do comment below or please drop by and say hello on our Facebook page or join me on Twitter.

What would you like to see a blog post on? What subjects would you like to hear about?

5 Top Tips To Boost Body Confidence

5 Top Tips To Boost Body Confidence

Guest Post By: Kelly Ward

Hey there SAS folk!

Last week we did a little homework on how we felt about our body confidence and image. Tough right?

This week we are going to give you 5 top tips to help you stay positive and motivated on your journey to self love and appreciation.

1. Spend less time in front of the mirror, especially when you are not love what you see in there at the moment. Concentrate on the inner you and how you feel you look. Read your top 10 things about me list, remind yourself how awesome you are and all the good things you do. Who cares if your hair isn't red-carpet-photo-shoot ready? Seriously, feel yourself to be good looking and confident and project that outwards through your eyes, your smile and your posture; no one will notice what you look like, only how you made them feel

2. Get a hobby. Do you do what you love? Do you have down-time for yourself to enjoy to do something you love to do? Why not?

I don’t want to hear excuses that you work, have kids, run the PTA, are too tired etc. etc. there is no excuse. To allow yourself time for yourself, you are telling yourself that you love and respect yourself. To do an activity that you love to do, be it alone or in a group setting, will give you a boost of all the lovely happiness hormones, making you feel positive and good. Please folks, just an hour a week at least that is just for you. Pinky promise me.. 1 hour.

3. Think about this: your skin replaces itself once a month, your stomach lining every five days, your liver every six weeks, and your skeleton every three months. Pretty awesome right? Your body is changing all the time. It is renewing all the time, whilst you are stuck in the same rut of disliking yourself and picking fault with yourself.  It doesn't make sense logically; The skin you hate today, you didn't even have a month ago...

4. Look around. Notice that every single person you see has a different body shape, are a different height and weight, have different skin tones and hair types. You are unique and beautiful. Know that and appreciate it; you are one in seven billion honey...

5. Stop the negative self talk. Stop with the “oh I’m so fat/skinny”, “this top doesn't hang right”, “I’m ugly and scarred”. I mean it; stop it immediately because, you know what, you are listening! Would you talk about your friend or someone you love like that? No you wouldn't, so why are you hating on yourself and bullying yourself... stop it! Every time you think something about yourself, ask yourself would you think like that about your friend or sister? Instead of “I’m ugly” I want to hear “I love how my hair looks today”, find the positive – be nice to you. Be your own friend, not your enemy. 

Please, post below if you have any thoughts or comments on this or any of our other blog posts we would love to hear them

Don’t forget to say hello to us on Facebook or Twitter and to book mark this site for upcoming blog posts.

NEXT WEEK: 10 Inspirational Body Quotes

The Importance Of Building A Good Body Image

The Importance of Building a Good Body Image

Guest Post Written By: Kelly Ward

In the last blog post we asked you if you felt you had a good body image. In this blog post we are going to explore the reasons why it is important to have (or learn to have) a good body image.

If you suffer from poor body image, especially after having surgery or having been treated with various medications, the consequences can be devastating. Poor body image is just not good for your health and we are supposed to be recovering and getting healthy right? Poor body image can contribute to low self esteem, anxiety, depression and bad eating and dieting habits. Poor body image and low self confidence can lead to chronic unhappiness, damage your relationships and create difficulty beginning new relationships – this is a pressure that is just not needed, when you are recovering and/or going through treatment.

We need to learn to embrace our bodies, no matter what shape, size or condition it is in. It is the only one you have.

Imagine found on Pintrest 

Okay, so first things first, what are we talking about when we say body image?

• How you see or picture yourself in your mind’s eye
• How you feel or think others perceive you
• What you feel about your physical appearance
• How you feel about your body
• How you feel in your body

Now, think about all of those points above for a minute and ask yourself (honestly) how you would answer each point. How do you really feel about your body; your wonderful, living, breathing body?

In order to start to develop a good body confidence and some positive self esteem, we are going have to do some work on it. Body image and self esteem won’t just come to you because you wish for it. Yes, you can “fake it ‘till you make it” and personally I’m a big advocate for that BUT it has to be done with real work from behind the scenes or you will just be papering over the cracks and that is not doing yourself any favours.

 Now it’s time to look in the mirror, both literally and figuratively.

This week SAS is going to set you some homework to help start your journey to self love and appreciation. When you do these exercises you may feel empowered and liberated or it may make you feel a little sad and shocked that you feel the way you do; that is all normal and completely fine. Embrace how you feel. Sometimes in life you have to face things head on and deal with what is in front of you and I know and understand it is tough, honest, I really do.  Do you want to know a secret? You will come out stronger for it. Once you learn to love and appreciate yourself the world becomes a different place to be in.

Homework (don’t worry there won’t be a test or anything!)

1. Write a list of 10 things you like about yourself – not necessarily physical either. What do you like about the type of person you are? What do you rock at?  Read the list to yourself every day.

2. Ask your husband, partner, best friend, cousin or someone you love and trust, to write a 10 things they like about you list. The answers may shock you. Read the list to yourself every day.

3. Write a list of people you admire: people who have contributed to your life, people who have inspired you, or people that just rock in the world. Consider whether their appearance was important to their success and accomplishments and their being and if their appearance was what attracted you to them in the first place (I will have a sneaky suspicion it didn't)

We would love to hear your thoughts or comments on this or any of our blogs. Please let us know if you did the homework and how you got on with it.

Don’t forget to say hello to us on Facebook or Twitter and to book mark this site for upcoming blog posts.

Next Week: 5 Tops Tips To Boost Body Confidence

Do You Have Good Body Confidence

Guest Post written by Kelly Ward

Hypothetically, if you were asked to stand in a room, completely alone, safe and secure, and asked to strip naked and take a look at yourself in the mirror, would you be happy to take a look? Do you think you would like what you see? Would you accept and appreciate what you see? Would you even look in the mirror at all?

If I were to ask those same questions to any random group of women, in any part of the country, I would bet my bottom dollar, that the great majority of ladies would answer no - No, they would not want to strip and be totally naked. No, they would not want to stand and look at themselves naked for any period of time. No, they would not like what they see...  If I were to hedge another bet, I would imagine they would talk about how they wish they had longer legs, a flatter stomach, bigger boobs, smaller boobs, were taller, shorter, fatter, thinner and so on and so on and so on. Society tells us, as women, we should be beautiful and desirable; with smooth bodies and perfectly coiffed hair. We should work out and wear clothes to suit our body shape and wear colours of make- up and clothing to match our skin tones. Make the best of what we have.

Through the media, the internet, pop culture and our own in-built programming we are a whole nation of body conscious individuals... but what if you have had a major surgery and part of you is missing? What if you have scarring from all your surgery? What if you wear a prosthetic? What if you wear a colostomy bag? What if you are not “normal”? How do you face the mirror then?

One small step at a time.

Body confidence, like every other example of confidence, has got to be an inside job. It has to come from within to be projected out. We all know or have seen those confident types right? They swish into a room and command attention. They are comfortable in their own skin. Now I’m not talking about the clothes or make up they wear here, I’m talking about their inner confidence and beauty that shines right out of them when you meet them; true confidence, no matter your size or shape, is a truly sexy and powerful thing!  These confident types are beautiful, because they love and respect themselves, not because they are perfect.

If you think you are beautiful and tell yourself you are beautiful, you will then begin to see and feel your beauty. If you think you’re not beautiful and tell yourself you are not beautiful, guess what’s going to happen? That’s correct, you are going to believe yourself and pick at yourself and dislike yourself and hide yourself away more and more over time – such a waste of yourself eh?

How do you help your body confidence grow? How can you be sexy after surgery? How can you rock the new body you now have? How can you feel like a confident, happy woman?

One small step at a time

Here at Swimming After Surgery (SAS), we aim to provide a service to help woman regain their confidence through physical exercise, group meetings  and social events with women who have walked the same path, and by using social media to engage and discuss issues that we may have. Over the next coming weeks we will be discussing the issues of body confidence more in depth and other issues such as clothing, travelling, relationships, sex, working and employment and many, many more subjects. If you have a question you would like to ask, please do ask and no subject is off limits (you can remain anonymous) please email us at swimmingaftersurgerysas@gmail.com

We would LOVE to hear from you. We would love to have your feedback, your comments or your questions.

Please say hello to us on Facebook or Twitter and be sure to bookmark this website for upcoming blog posts.

NEXT WEEK: The Importance of Building a Healthy Body Image