I really appreciate the memory pop-ups on Facebook. Not only to reminisce but to go over exactly what I was thinking or posting then. Today, it highlighted a post I wrote exactly 4 years ago, and it's comforting to know that I still preach about this to all women I meet who are either hesitant to compete or train.
"When we think of the iron and lifting, we envision masculinity and power. The behavioral and psychological demands of competitive sports reinforce the masculinity and oppose what is stereotypically feminine. But I often convey that there's more than meets the eye. I perceive women with strength as serious, beautiful power and I admire the rebellious and out of the norm acceptance they choose to challenge. In reality, it is a sport that is you vs you. This is my admiration to those who love what they do and work effing hard to get where they are! Xoxo"
We've become much bigger than this. I think we are much more encouraging and unified versus 4, 5, 10 years ago. We have a community that supports one another and it's nice to know that the sport is evolving towards the right direction. There's still bad things out there and there will always be a hater or a basher or a person that does not agree with anything we do. And, that's okay. This is not for everyone. But the sport does not need fixing. You do not need to be the strongest person in the room (physically). As long as you have courage, inner-strength and drive, you will grow to see that this sport is not a competition against each other, it is against yourself. So what's holding you back? If you want to compete, compete. If you want to get stronger, pick up some weights. If you don't know where to start, have you heard of EliteFTS?
If you get intimidated or discouraged to start because you tell yourself "you can't" or "you're not strong enough", then maybe this sport isn't for you.
Strength is beautiful.
