Ah, #womancrushwednesday. #wcw
How many times do you fill my social media feeds with women, of all shapes and sizes, proclaiming our love for them?
But it got me thinking the other day... Who are my lady crushes? My female role models? Those women who inspire and motivate me?
How many times do you fill my social media feeds with women, of all shapes and sizes, proclaiming our love for them?
But it got me thinking the other day... Who are my lady crushes? My female role models? Those women who inspire and motivate me?
I grew up playing with dolls and Barbies. Many people would claim that gave me an altered perspective on the female form. Unrealistic role models for what women should look like.
I know that much of that impact may be subconcious, but there has never been a moment in my life where I wanted to look like a Barbie. And definitely NEVER have I wanted to look like a Bratz doll... (Different rant for a different time!)
My mother has struggled with her weight as long as I've known her. In fact, both of my parents did. A mostly sedentary lifestyle and a fodness for carbs and red meat were the norm at my house.
But I wasn't overweight. I wasn't overly skinny. Looking back, I know I had gained weight between my sophomore year of high school, but a summer spent working on a farm saw me lose 10 pounds through hard manual labor (which I enjoyed!) and drew criticism and concern from my doctors. Blood work became necessary to rule out possible thyroid problems or potential eating disorders.
But I hadn't been trying to lose weight.
It had just happened, as it does, when you lead an active lifestyle.
I know that much of that impact may be subconcious, but there has never been a moment in my life where I wanted to look like a Barbie. And definitely NEVER have I wanted to look like a Bratz doll... (Different rant for a different time!)
My mother has struggled with her weight as long as I've known her. In fact, both of my parents did. A mostly sedentary lifestyle and a fodness for carbs and red meat were the norm at my house.
But I wasn't overweight. I wasn't overly skinny. Looking back, I know I had gained weight between my sophomore year of high school, but a summer spent working on a farm saw me lose 10 pounds through hard manual labor (which I enjoyed!) and drew criticism and concern from my doctors. Blood work became necessary to rule out possible thyroid problems or potential eating disorders.
But I hadn't been trying to lose weight.
It had just happened, as it does, when you lead an active lifestyle.
I was a cheerleader in high school. Those whom society deems more prone to concerns about vanity and weight. But my weight was never discussed until that summer I lost weight and my coach found out I needed a new skirt two sizes smaller. Again, my coach was surprised, but he and my teammates never made me feel pressured or that I needed to weigh a certain amount.
I grew up watching gymnastics, and physically, many of my female role models were gymnasts. Cheerleading had not yet reached the point of having recognizable household names, so role models there were few and far between. BUT GYMNASTICS! There were strong, physically fit ladies with talent and skill to be envied.
I split my loyalties between two in recent years: Nastia Luiken and Shawn Johnson.
I split my loyalties between two in recent years: Nastia Luiken and Shawn Johnson.
I adored Nastia. Her long, graceful lines. The beautiful flow and rhythm to her routines were breathtaking. And while I envied her, I knew that that was not who I was. I am not tall, long, lean or graceful. My ultimate was Shawn Johnson: PURE POWER. Diminuitive and strong. Spunky. A force to be reckoned with.
A few years back, a friend and I were running the Fifth Third Riverbank Run 10K. We were lucky enough to finish with enough time to catch the finish of the Mens and Womens elite racers. The Riverbank Run is the world's largest 25K race, and as such, draws tremendous talent from around the world to compete in this unique distance. And as we watched the women finish in impressive fashion, my friend Coley commented...
"Man, look at how thin their legs are! I wish my legs looked like that!"
I love Coley. I honestly do. And she and I are cut from the same cloth. We have strong, muscular legs and bigg butts. WE WILL NEVER LOOK LIKE THOSE RUNNERS. NEVER EVER EVER.
What an unattainable goal that would be to set for myself! To run myself in to oblivian, logging hundreds of miles, rationing my food to try and achieve something that my body is not designed for. I was born with a booty. I have what my father once referred to as "child bearing hips." (Thanks dad, that one MAY have caused some body image issues when I was 14?)
These days I find that my #womancrushwednesday ladies are those whom I can relate to. Those who work out, not to be thin or to lose a few pounds but to be strong and skilled. Those are the women I respect and look to for inspiration.
"Man, look at how thin their legs are! I wish my legs looked like that!"
I love Coley. I honestly do. And she and I are cut from the same cloth. We have strong, muscular legs and bigg butts. WE WILL NEVER LOOK LIKE THOSE RUNNERS. NEVER EVER EVER.
What an unattainable goal that would be to set for myself! To run myself in to oblivian, logging hundreds of miles, rationing my food to try and achieve something that my body is not designed for. I was born with a booty. I have what my father once referred to as "child bearing hips." (Thanks dad, that one MAY have caused some body image issues when I was 14?)
These days I find that my #womancrushwednesday ladies are those whom I can relate to. Those who work out, not to be thin or to lose a few pounds but to be strong and skilled. Those are the women I respect and look to for inspiration.
Women like Amelia Boone, who works full time as a lawyer, and then still manages to find time to train and compete in Spartan Races. And not only does she compete, but she wins. Her dedication to being the best, her sacrafices to reach her goals. That and her love of junk food like pop-tarts. I will never be as long and lean as Amelia, but I admire her strength and dedication.
Or Kacy Catanzaro. Kacy is five feet tall. 100 pounds of pure muscle. And yet, this year, on American Ninja Warrior, she did what thousands of others couldn't do. She beat out men and women alike to become the first female to ever reach Stage One of Mount Midoriyama. She even inspired the hashtag #MightyKacy and thousands of little girls all across the country to challenge themselves. I don't have any kids, but if I had a daughter, I'd be completely ok with one of them having Kacy as a role model. |
And finally, my newest of lady crushes? (Because even I can only use #wcw so many times!)
Meet Camille Leblanc-Bazinet.
Meet Camille Leblanc-Bazinet.
Camille is me. Or rather, what me at my best is actually capable of. She is strong. She is fit. Camille is the 2014 CrossFit games Champion. And she is what I aspire to be.
Is she skinny? No. Is she strong? HELL YES. Camille has muscles. Strong arms and thighs that lift weights and move her. And I can think of no one else that I would rather have as a fitness role model than this woman who embodies that strong is better than skinny.
Woman Crush Wednesday for women that we have crushes on? Pretty cool.
Women who can CRUSH things? FRIGGEN AWESOME.
And that's all I have to say about that. <3
#runlove, y'all!
Is she skinny? No. Is she strong? HELL YES. Camille has muscles. Strong arms and thighs that lift weights and move her. And I can think of no one else that I would rather have as a fitness role model than this woman who embodies that strong is better than skinny.
Woman Crush Wednesday for women that we have crushes on? Pretty cool.
Women who can CRUSH things? FRIGGEN AWESOME.
And that's all I have to say about that. <3
#runlove, y'all!