Every so often I post a photo on Instagram or Facebook of a yoga pose that I’ve been working on.

Behind every photo, there are about 15 photos that don’t make the cut, mostly of me falling on my face.

I add a filter before it makes its way on to social media. As society gets more active, our perception of fitness becomes more and more unrealistic.

The truth is that most of my Sundays are not spent doing yoga on the beach with the sunset as a backdrop, they are spent in sweatpants on the couch watching movies with cheese and crackers.

Social media is so woven into the daily fabric of our lives, including fitness and wellness.

We have access to data, ideas, new exercises and the latest workout trends all on our phones yet it can leave us feeling insecure that we haven’t gotten the results we want, or looked how we expected while doing it. It is easy to create an unrealistic expectation of what a healthy lifestyle will look like.

How can we find the time to build a perfect smoothie bowl, when we barely have time to grab breakfast? Let’s be honest, how practical is the smoothie bowl anyway?

It is important to know that fitness instructors on social media do this for a living. They get paid to have the “perfect body”, to wear free workout gear and run in paradise. Even in perfect conditions, these photos are still edited.

You don’t have to have a Pinterest-perfect social media page to inspire yourself or others to live a healthier lifestyle.

Be unapologetic with your fitness. Put your hair in a messy bun, throw on your sweaty workout clothes and just get to it. Post a sweaty selfie, don’t (or do) post your healthy food and don’t feel guilty if you spend the occasional Sunday on the couch.

Take bits that you like from fitness “gurus”; remember that they probably stand in front of the mirror wishing away cellulite too. You never know who is watching so be proud of your feats even if you don’t think they are ready for social media!

• Cassandra Matcham is a Yoga Alliance-certified yoga instructor, studio and group fitness manager at Alchemy Fitness. She specialises in accountability and goal-setting to help clients reach their full potential. Follow Alchemy Fitness on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlchemyFitnessBermuda or e-mail info@alchemy.bm.