A fitness instructor has been praised by her 1.2 million Instagram followers for revealing the truth behind her seemingly perfect pictures.
Anna Victoria, creator of The Fit Body Guides, shared a side-by-side picture of herself in a bikini. On the left side of the image she was stood up and posed, while the snap on the right was a shot of her sitting down and relaxed.
'Me 1% of the time vs. 99% of the time,' she wrote in the caption for the post. 'And I love both photos equally. Good or bad angles don't change your worth.
'I recently came across an article talking about how one woman stated she refuses to accept her flaws, because she doesn't see them as flaws at all. I LOVED that because it sends such a powerful message that our belly rolls, cellulite, stretch marks are nothing to apologize for, to be ashamed of, or to be obsessed with getting rid of!
'As I'm getting older, I have cellulite and stretch marks that aren't going away, and I welcome them. They represent a life fully lived (for 28 years so far :)) and a healthy life and body at that. How can I be mad at my body for perfectly normal "flaws"?'
Image: Instagram/Anna Victoria
'This body is strong, can run miles, can lift and squat and push and pull weight around, and it's happy not just because of how it looks, but because of how it feels. So when you approach your journey, I want you to remember these things: I will not punish my body I will fuel it. I will challenge it. AND I will love it.'
Anna's followers were quick to shower her with praise for the post, with one writing: 'Both pics are beautiful' and another saying: 'I love this! See we don't need to worry about rolls when we bend or sit down ! It's how it should be!'
'This is so helpful,' another added. 'I've been feeling so upset with myself when I look 'relaxed' in my stomach so to speak, in my head I'd had it drilled I that I should always have a flat stomach and it got stupid even to the point of sitting down I'd be poking get it and trying get to hide it. I'd get upset when it was anything but flat and it's an obsession this has helped so much knowing it's normal. You look amazing in both photos, thank you for sharing!'
It's not the first time Anna's opened up about the difference a strong pose and good lighting can make - last year, she shared a snap of her 'belly rolls' to prove that 'your stomach does not have to be perfectly flat to be healthy'.
Image: Instagram/Anna Victoria
'Your stomach does not have to be perfectly flat for you to love yourself, and your stomach does not have to be perfectly flat to be confident and beautiful and an all around amazing person,' she wrote at the time.
'As a society, we shouldn't let physical characteristics set the standard for whether we deserve to love ourselves or not. Everyone deserves to love themselves, however I know that's easier said than done.'
