Women Who Lift: We Won't Apologize For It!

First off, I just have to say that I'm sitting here on a Monday morning at my desk. The sun hasn't come up, candles are lit (house smells heavenly), and the only sound I can hear is the crackling of the fire in the fire place. This my friends, is relaxation... (sigh) :) Now, back to business.

More and more woman are developing a passion for fitness and building lean muscle, which excites me to no end! Unfortunately, there will always be people out there who will doubt them for it. Don't get me wrong, there are men that receive a lot of flack for this as well, but people tend to be much more accepting of a man wanting to put on muscle than they are of a woman. My good friend Rachel and I recently had a conversation about this and how difficult it can be to live a clean eating lifestyle. Just like any thing else, sometimes it almost feels like it's hard to "fit in" when you aren't surrounded by people who share the same passion as you. Whether you are a man or a woman, if you live this lifestyle, you get a lot of grief for not wanting to go out for happy hour or for not "living a little." Since when does living have to involve me getting drunk or eating foods that will hinder what I have been working my ASS off trying to accomplish? It makes no sense to me. We all need to take a step back and have a little respect for others priorities. If you don't agree with the way I live my life, that's fine! You're entitled to your own opinion. But please keep it to yourself, because I'm too busy over here loving what I do to worry about you and your negative thoughts! (peace sign)

Unfortunately woman are placed under extra scrutiny for having a passion for bodybuilding. If I had a dollar for the number of times that I heard, "muscular women are unattractive." I'd be a millionaire! This is something that frustrates me to no end and it's partially because of my profession, but it's also because I've experienced first hand the effects that this lifestyle has on a person and it's nothing but POSITIVE!!!! You develop a whole new attitude and eagerness to push yourself to new limits. It's exhilarating. I work with woman of all ages on a daily basis. Woman who's lives have changed because they decided to start putting their health and happiness first. They now have confidence they never had before. Some of the woman I work with, and men for that matter, would never have dreamed of setting foot in a gym on their own before now. They have become self efficient in more ways than one. They've created a belief system in themselves that no one can fuck with. This is what drives them. This is what keeps them coming back. They've proven to themselves that they can do something that they once never thought they could. And THAT is why this lifestyle is amazing. We were given these bodies for a reason. And I know damn well that it wasn't to sit around and be lazy feeling sorry for ourselves. Our bodies are capable of doing amazing things. We just have to put in a little effort to take care of them. Fuel them with proper nutrition and challenge them once in a while! Like our brains, if we aren't challenging our bodies on a daily basis, they will never improve. 

As a female personal trainer and bodybuilder, I get a lot of love and support form the people around me because I work in the fitness industry. The majority of the people that I encounter on a daily basis look up to me and are inspired by what I do, but there are always those few who just don't understand why I would want to "look like a man." (insert eye roll here).  I can only explain it like this. It's a passion for something that sometimes can't be fully explained to those who don't have the same drive. It's the feeling I get when I put my hands on the cold metal and get set for that first set of deadlifts. It makes my heart race. It makes me feel unstoppable. Yes, I am a woman, yes I lift heavy shit and care about what I put in my body, and no, I could not care less about what you haters think because I love this shit. And if you ask me; a strong, smart, confident, independent woman with a little muscle on her is the sexiest thing on this planet!!!

The End.