What Do Female Athletes Look Like?

This was inspired by observing high school female athletes. Being in your teens as a female comes with a ridiculous amount of self-esteem issues, self-judging, and self-criticism. Media doesn’t help this (but at least it’s getting semi-better) so girls think they all have to be that cookie-cutter shape–those “thigh gaps,” an unhealthy body fat percentage, and no muscle. I saw one girl, probably going home from sports practice, look at a car mirror to find her reflection. I can online imagine what was going through her mind when she looked at her thick thighs. And I want to say, GUESS WHAT GIRLS–you are athletes. And athletes aren’t “Angels” (see below). Your bodies have a purpose.

Image source

Jun102015

Top 5 Inspirational Females in Fitness

A while ago, we posted our “Top 5 Male Fitness Personalities on YouTube” (we also did Hungry’s Top 10 Fitness Heroes) and although we don’t get as many comments as we used to on our other host (LEAVE MORE PEOPLE!), there was one that really got our attention. Someone requested a list of the five most influential females in fitness. At first I thought, sure, no problem. Then it began to haunt me and I realized that I bit off more than I could chew. Martial arts, sports, fitness, aquatics, athletics, and more are all “fitness” and there are countless qualified candidates for this list.

Thus, I’ve finally decided to take on this monumental task the only way that I know… without any preparation, research, or any kind of grading rubric. I am going to think of decades of females in fitness within a few minutes and deliver to you a list of five that are nothing but pure inspiration. Anyone should be able to look at these five and immediately feel more than motivated to get to work and make some changes for the better.

Well, I guess there are some overall factors that influenced my decisions. No matter how inspirational they are this list will include… No one that tells you constantly to buy products that don’t work. No one that’s been “in the industry” for less than a year. No one that gives you incorrect nutritional advice or inaccurate explanations of exercises. You don’t get bonus points for having ten million followers over all your social media. AND I am trying to represent different communities in fitness because even though one person requested this list, I am creating it for everyone.

And in NO particular order…

Abby Wambach – The Women’s World Cup is upon us and Abby will lead a team that has a #scoretosettle. She’s a total beast, tougher than the men that hit the pitch, who might go down but doesn’t stay down. She’s also a great role model for the LBGT community, showing that one doesn’t have to hide anything but also doesn’t have to extremely outspoken. She lives the life she wants, has a positive influence on others, is one of the top female athletes in the world, and still rocks the pages of the ESPN Body Issue, butt-naked.

Image Source

May022014

Let’s Talk About Strength

I’m glad I’m not alone in this “strength revolution.” I totally just made that phrase up, but it’s true that more people (females are more so who I’m focusing on) are striving towards strength rather than being skinny. I find this to be so exciting and I am HAPPY it’s finally here. Yes, there are certainly those who just want to attain that Victoria’s Secret model-esque body, but I think we are slowly straying away from that. We are moving towards being healthy and fit with strong bodies as the portrayal of sexy bodies.

Can I get a hoo-rah?! Of course, I didn’t always strength train. When I did sports, we would do some weight room stuff, but it was rare. Moving forward from that when I went to the gym, I would only do elliptical and maybe some weights. That slowly increased more and more to where lifting became more important than “cardio.” I honestly do not know how I could ever go to another way of working out that didn’t involve lifting. It feels so good and you see progress each week in muscle development and strength. Who could let go of that?

Although most females still focus just on yoga and running (which is fine!), it is definitely broadening to where there is some sort of strength routine once a week, which is excellent! I know I don’t like to skip lifting more than one or two days a week, but that’s just me. I have goals for this year such as squatting 200lbs, bench 100lbs, and so forth. And that’s all focused on strength.

In our culture, females are taught to shy away from protruding muscles or muscular strength. Like that’s the “manly” thing to do and not suited for the female gender. Well that’s plain wrong and stupid. Sorry, I had to say it. I’m proud of the muscles in my back and those times my quads are showing their muscles. It shows strength, discipline, health. What’s sexier than being healthy?

Some quad action

So women (and men) in the world, don’t shy away from your strength. Muscles are sexy! Being a stick is no longer the cool thing to do. Take the power into your hands and lift! I promise you will feel liberated from the cardio machines if you through some lifting and machines in there. And you can start small. Start with a few exercises and watch your love for lifting develop. If you’re not sure how to start, feel free to email me at alana.ppowell@gmail.com or leave a comment below. You won’t regret it! Embrace strength and stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC