May 06, 2017

Inspiration

By Fix Events

My name is Sheryl Hill and I’m a theatre director.

And as you might be able to tell from the picture below, I am obese.

At the beginning of 2017, I set up a Youtube channel called ‘Sheryl Talks Obesity,’ charting my journey over the next eighteen months as I create a theatre production exploring the complexities and real life experience of obesity in the UK.

I’ve struggled with my weight my whole life. I’m an emotional eater with a history of binge eating and secret eating. I used to dread P.E. at school and feeling humiliated because of how red-faced I go when I exercise. More than anything, I grew up feeling that sport wasn’t something I was good at and that led to me not participating at all.

That’s my story in a nutshell.

I’m really interested in other peoples’ experience of obesity; the stories we rarely hear within society’s conversation on obesity, with obesity now affecting 1 in 4 people.

This theatre production isn’t about making excuses, being void of responsibility, or self-pitying, but it is about giving a platform to unheard voices within this conversation and scientific experts so that we can widen our understanding of obesity beyond the stereotypes and the cliches.

As a part of this eighteen month process, I’m also training for a marathon, the Three Peaks Challenge and cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Iconic physical events which have always inspired me but which I felt were things I couldn’t even contemplate doing.

I hope that by going through this journey of moving more, it will help me to tackle my relationship with eating less.

As I write this blog post I’m now approaching the final month of my 10k training, having completed my 5k in March (pic below of me on my third and final lap at a local Park run), before tackling 10k at Richmond Park on 3rd June 2017.

You can keep up to date with my progress on my Youtube channel:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ns6b03b0vM

I’ll probably be incredibly nervous on the day, feeling self-conscious and most likely like a fraud for even being there, but I’m also excited to get to the starting line and the second milestone in this journey. And I’m even starting to get to the point now where I embrace how red-faced I go!

Best of luck with your run on the day. I hope you smash it!

Sheryl x