For almost three years now, I've been enjoying a long-awaited reunion and love-affair with the gym and the basketball court after a long time of being inactive. Basketball runs in my family, a grand total of 3 (there are at least 20 of us) don't play. In his day, my dad even played professionally and internationally, something which I'm extremely proud of him for. While I don't come anywhere near close in terms of skill, what I do take very seriously is my fitness.
It seems that recently, in a world that loves big butts and cannot lie, fitness, and particularly squats, have become a new craze. Although in principle this sounds like a good thing, I can't help but feel torn when I see people jumping on board the squat train. I can't decide whether I'm in favour of it, taking it as a sign that popular culture is finally promoting the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, or whether I'm actually concerned that this is yet another manifestation of our tumultuous relationship with body image.
The multitude of misconceptions and preoccupations associated with body image and how to sculpt the "perfect" one, can often get in the way of just being healthy and achieving your personal fitness goals. The typical response I get when I tell people I lift and use protein supplements is derogatory, derisive and will invariably be a comment along the lines of "oh, so you're trying to get dench?" followed by weird shoulder-shrugging, that I can only assume is intended to represent muscle gains. In fact, even at the gym, where I would least expect to be discouraged from lifting, I'm interrupted at least 3 times a day, and warned to workout differently lest my figure should change too much.
If I were younger, and more worried about other people's opinions of my body and the way it should or shouldn't look, I think I'd have stopped going by now. Luckily, I'm proud of my body and the way it's developing as I train, and I wish everyone could feel the same. Over the last few years, and especially since I started weight-lifting, I've felt increasingly empowered, both physically and mentally. I've become fitter, stronger and have far more endurance, and it seems strange to me when people can't understand why I train the way I do. Contrary to common belief, my lifestyle doesn't make me any less feminine, or any less of a woman. Who said women can't be fit, tough and strong? I really dislike the fact that the labels we put on different body-types and workouts, put pressure on people to look and train a certain way.
Whether you want to run, spin, dance, lift, box, play ball, all, or none of those, do it. Do whatever makes you feel your best, because at the end of the day no one else knows your body like you do, and no one else has the right to tell you what to do with it.
Honestly? Yes I do want quad-separation, abs, and boulders for shoulders (although I doubt I'll be getting them at Christmas) and it's nobody's place to have a problem with that. So, hold the gestures, and the comments about "bulking" and "manliness," - they might be your excuses, but they're not mine.
Thank you for giving me confidence about my curves.
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