Featured Athlete: Emily from Sparkle and Shade!!
| June 13, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Featured Athlete |
HEY friends!! How was your Monday? A good one I hope! I went to the physio, and was told that I can run again if I want to!!! YAAAAAY!! BUT the physio recommended an extra week off, and that would pretty much guarantee 100% healing and my shin splints not coming back like it did last time! So I made the Big Girl Decision to wait just 7 more days…that’s not a long time, right? In the meantime I’m gonna try some fun new things and I know the time will FLY and before I know it I’ll be back out there again! 
ANYWAY before I ramble on even more, I’m going to stop and hand over to this Monday’s Featured Athlete volunteer: Emily from Sparkle and Shade! She’s a beautiful Brit who is a runner training for her first half and a foodie like me! Twinsies I tell you! So here is Emily to tell you more about herself!
Tell us a bit about yourself!
I’m Emily Birkinshaw – a happy 24 year old married lady living in York. I currently work as a Teaching Assistant with a little boy with autism, although hopefully in September I’ll be training as a Primary School Teacher. I’ve been writing sparkleandshade.com for a bit over a year now and I love it – it’s changed a lot since I first started writing it! Initially I blogged about make up and posted lots of interesting looks, then I focused more on beauty and skincare and now it’s a whole mishmash of things – sewing, baking, healthy living, exercise and just general rambling!
Share with us a random fact about you!
I technically directed the Premier of the High School Musical stage show in the UK! My church did it as a youth musical and bought the proper version from Disney – we even got a letter telling us we were the first official showing of it in the UK from them!
What would be the five items you would choose to have with you if stranded on a desert island?
Hmmm I always find these questions hard! I’d have a little hamper of food (with yummy things like oats, peanut butter etc), a water purifier because I HATE being thirsty and I’d want to make sure the water was safe, a good book, my camera and a mobile phone with working signal so I could call them to come and get me when I’d had enough!
So you’re an athlete then? Are you a runner/swimmer/cyclist/gym fanatic?
(photo – me and my friend Roy before last year’s 10k!)
I’m a bit of a mishmash really. I cycle to work (when I can be bothered – it’s a 4 mile cycle each way along scary roads and sometimes it’s just easier to take the bus!), I practice Yoga several times a week (and utterly adore it) and I run! I’m currently training for my 2nd 10k and my very first half marathon!
WHY do you workout/run/cycle etc.?
I do it for all sorts of reasons. I started running last year because I decided I wanted to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust – my husband and his sister both have Cystic Fibrosis and the CF Trust are in desperate need of funding. The work done by the CF Trust is the reason that my Husband and Sarah (his sister) are alive and healthy and why the average life expectancy for people with CF is rising – not so long ago the average life expectancy was 18. It’s currently 32 years old and rising and I want my husband to be alive for a long as possible!
I also do it because I love it – I love the feeling I have after exercise whether that’s a wonderful calm stillness after practicing Yoga or a pumped up adrenaline rush from a long run – endorphins are my kinda high! Finally, I run because I want to keep myself fit and healthy and because I want to prove to myself and others that I can do it!
Have you always been active?
When I was younger I never did any exercise due to having a lot of muscle problems and spending a lot of my teenage years in huge amounts of pain/bed bound/walking with a stick. I was told I’d be lucky to make it to 16 without being in a wheelchair, and that it’d be pretty much miraculous if I made it to 21 without being in one full time. I guess I must be a walking miracle! My health dramatically changed after I went wheat free and as a result I was able to start practicing yoga, learnt how to ride a bike (age 21!) and finally decided I wanted to be a runner!
How do you stay motivated? Do you have any motivational tips to share?
In all honesty, I’m rubbish at staying motivated! I easily fall into the rut of laziness or worrying I won’t be as good or whatever but there are a couple of things I do to kick myself back into gear! First I start forcing myself to read other people’s blogs – I get so jealous to see them running and looking so awesome that I have to run! If that doesn’t work, I make myself think of how stupid I’ll feel not being able to complete a race because I haven’t training hard enough! And if it really doesn’t work I put out a plea on twitter for some motivation – there’s always someone there who’ll tell you to put on your running shoes and head out the door!
What are you obsessed with?
Food! I am such a foodie! I’m always concocting new recipes or messing around in the kitchen – I get seriously grumpy if I don’t eat every couple of hours! One of my biggest frustrations has been going wheat free – it makes eating out such a pain but it does mean I get to have so much more fun at home experimenting. The saddest thing is how hard it makes it to be vegan – instead I’m an egg and dairy avoiding vegetarian but sometimes there’s literally no other option!
THANKS Emily for volunteering to be a Featured Athlete! I can’t believe you made such a miraculous recovery and are now a runner raising money to help your husband and sister-in-law! SO inspirational! 
Hope you guys enjoyed ‘meeting’ Emily as much as I did! Don’t forget to leave her comment love and check out her blog!!
What are YOU obsessed with? Oh dear, waaaay to much here!! Running is top of the list, because I dream about it and 90% of my reading material is about it! And collecting nut butters is another (perfectly normal and healthy) obsession 
Are you a foodie? Um, YES! Being in the kitchen creating new recipes or making food is my happy place
Random Q: What is your nationality/ethnicity? My momma is Indian and my dad’s American! I get a lot of questions about my ‘tanning secrets’ haha!
Have an AMAZING day friends!! HUGS!!
I am in love with your hair. It is seriously so pretty and like sharp if that makes sense.
hehe my hair? Why thank you! I only got it cut like this a few weeks ago – it used to be down past my bra strap so it was kinda a major change to I love it
Such an inspirational story. It’s amazing how much a change in the diet can do for the body. I wish healthy eating was emphasised more as a preventative measure. It seems like people don’t bother because they can just rely on medical intervention.
I totally agree! When I was ill, no-one ever told me that my diet could have an effect. I was prescribed really strong painkillers and told to deal with it, this was my lot in life! If I’d known what a difference it would make I’d have changed things years ago!
I’m obsessed with food, too! I love being a foodie
I’m obsessed with fitness in general, but especially runningand I am a foodie, hence my blog title XC (cross country) foodie!
I have to say, Emily’s story is so inspiring! I take what my body can do for granted and whine over a broken toe, but there are some people who just dream of being able to be active. Emily is so strong for all she has gone through!
Thanks lovely
I always kinda forget what my body went through to get where I am and I’m probably not as appreciative of it as I should be sometimes 
That’s awesome that you directed High School Musical! I’m obsessed with keeping snacks in my purse. I cleaned it out yesterday and found like 4 snack bars, 2 bags of almonds, and an apple. Just gotta be prepared!
Haha it is isn’t it?! It was so much fun!!! We had over 2,000 people come to view it in the 3 days it was on too!
I’m obsessed with veggies and fruit! I literally cannot get enough!
Thanks for sharing your story Emily! So inspiring and great to meet such an awesome gal!
Thanks Kaila!
x
Yay another blogger from the UK!
With fab hair too.
After my weekend post I think I now have to admit that I am obsessed with tea
My parents are both English, but my Dad is half Austrian and that is where I get my super thick hair from!
Whoop for UK bloggers (we seem to be few and far between in the healthy living world!) and thanks for thinking I have fab hair too
x
My heritage is kinda cool. My Grandma and Granda on my mum’s side were Scottish and Canadian and my Nan and Grandad on my dad’s side were both from Roma families – my nan from a Spanish gypsy community and my grandad from a Polish one
Wow that IS so cool!! I thought you might have some interesting blood in you!
Emma, you made a good decision with waiting 7 more days, it will be worth it!
Emily, thanks for your nice post, you are really cool:)
I am obssesed with good food, eating vast amounts of fruit and nuts, paining, plaing the piano and being creative, talking and smiling:)
I think I am a foodie, but in my special way – no fancy foods, just simple meals with simple ingredients and let´s enjoy it:)
ooo nice to meet you!!thats so cool about the HSM play!!!! im irish and american! but 1/2 irish!
AAAH I thought you looked a bit Irish!! SO COOL!!
Yep 7 more days is totally nothing compared to the bigger picture. Plus you’ve waited all this while so a few more days won’t kill ya (although it might drive u mad
). And I am a foodie to the bone, and proud of it! Snap on the ethnicity, well somewhat! Both my parents are Indian and I have an American passport!
Aaah cool! *Almost* twinsies!! And I know, the next 7 days will FLY by, so thanks!!
Great guest post! Haha, I’m certainly obsessed with food just like Emily! I certainly relate to her egg and dairy avoiding veggie description! Glad you got the thumbs up at the docs!:-)
It’s amazing how making a diet change allowed you to be able to become more active. Good luck with your first half!
Emma <3 Im so happy for you!! I just cant wait to hear about your first run again!!
But I love food so much, and I only want to eat yummy foods. I use so much money on fresh tasty foods. And I LOVE good dark chocolate- Ive been obsessed with is for as long as I can remember 
I AM a foodie, but a struggelig one at the moment
Thank you SO much for your email! Meant so much to me, Ill answere it soon! Love you<3
Awesome guess post!! I have a major obsession with food too! I love it!
Wow, Emily is such an inspiration – great post!
Emma- yay for being able to run and also waiting a little longer to ensure no pain will be totally worth it!
YAY!!! great news on the shin front..keep on getting that bone strong!
smart choice in holding off running a little longer, 7 days will pass faster than you think and then you’ll be right back to it!
thanks for featuring emily…a great and inspiring story!
okay, i’m obsessed with running too, obviously, and to answer the second one i’m also obsessed with food.
Haha! What is it with us bloggers and oats ‘n’ PB?! I swear, it’s catching…
I am obsessed with Criminal Minds, exercising, and knowing where I am. Hate to be lost. I am definitely a foodie and I am a Caucasian American
OMG YAYYYYYY I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU. YES!!!! And soo proud of you for waiting the extra 7 days.