Fit and Strong, Not Skinny

The road to fitness has been long and arduous. Did I think it would be easy? No, but I didn’t think it would be this tough. Then it hit me. I thought about how much time, dedication and determination it took to work in the news industry and the same amount of effort it takes to continue to excel. It’s finally clicking that if I put that kind of effort into my health and fitness goals, I will get to my goal.

The title of this blog is “Fit & Strong, not SKINNY” I think often times we see someone slender and we say “I want to be that skinny” but that’s not the message I want to send. I want people (young girls, women, etc) to look at me and say “I want to be fit and strong.” I want to be a living example of good health. Every woman has a different body type. This is mine. When I gain weight, I’m larger on top, my upper arms tend to gain weight …and the worst and toughest spot to lose fat is my – BELLY! This is compounded by my stress levels, which produce a stress hormone called cortisol. Because of my high-intensity career, I train hard to relieve some of that stress. It’s better than turning to other stress relievers …like alcohol etc (you get the point).

Anyway …the point of my blog is that I met a woman the other day (nameless) – a beautiful woman who said to me, “Young girls will watch you on TV and think I want to be skinny just like that and I want them to know they don’t have to be thin to be beautiful.” While I agree with that statement on many levels, I wanted to reply “I’m not skinny. In fact, I’m fit and strong. I have muscles and train hard for them. I promote health and fitness, not being thin. Big difference.” I didn’t say that however. I just said, “Of course, curvy …thin, muscular, I think it’s all beautiful” and I do. I just don’t want anyone to get the impression that I’m encouraging anyone to be skinny partly because when I was younger and impressionable and insecure, I thought being skinny WAS the answer. I admit I counted calories, pinched fat in the mirror …whatever it is that young, impressionable girls do. The only images I was paying attention to at the time (late 90s) was the extremely thin super models. I’m happy to see that is changing and what a model looks like is evolving. Heck, I think we’re ALL models! There’s no longer a stereotype mold we have to fit into. I’m witnessing a new movement and that is one where women go to the gym, lift weights, eat right …and it’s SEXY.

I know I’ve blogged about health and fitness before, but I want to stress that I don’t take pride in being SKINNY because I’m not. I take pride in being built. I squat, dead lift …and am working to reach my goal of a completing a pull up. Physical strength is beginning to fuel my inner strength, and I love it. It’s not just about how my body looks on the OUTSIDE, it’s also about how my body feels on the INSIDE.

So with that – more power to the women who pick up weights. I was at the gym today, working out with women about a decade older than me. They have husbands, kids, jobs …and they kicked my ass by lifting heavier weights and doing pull-ups. Now THAT is inspiration.

XOX