AND IT’S NOT HOW YOU THINK

A couple of weeks ago, we organized a very special fitness awareness campaign here at The BodyForge.

We called it Lift Like a Girl.

It was a campaign targeted specifically to ladies. Which makes it sound weird at first, I know.

I mean, seriously, who wants to lift like a chick anyway?

It doesn’t sound very glamorous or heroic…or does it?

 

SO PULL OVER FOR A SECOND…

Have you ever stopped to wonder WHY we think in these terms?

Why does lifting like a girl have to sound like a humiliation of sorts?

Well, as it turns out, lifting like a girl is something most women should be doing.

The reason behind Lift Like A Girl is that we wanted to send out a message from real women to other women that strength training is an extremely beneficial thing to do.

Especially if you are female.

You see, most women find going to a gym extremely intimidating.

They think they will walk into a fitness club and find it full of women with unattainably beautiful bodies, all working out to perfection without a hair out of place.

You know, the kind of woman you see in the magazines, with impossibly flawless skin, a perfectly smooth face and not a freckle, a pimple or a mole showing anywhere (cough…Photoshop…cough…sorry, allergies acting up).

And being in such “elite” company is scary.

After all, it would be something that would ANY woman feel miserable about herself, because this “perfection” in others would just serve to cast a horrible highlight on her innate flaws.

Or at least, her own stilted perception of the flaws she carries.

So, most women think “why go to the gym if it’s going to make me feel worse?”

Well, that’s very understandable.

Hell, I myself would be a bit daunted if I were to find myself working out in a gym full of demi-gods and goddesses like this (OK, I wouldn’t be daunted for long, but I would get at least 60 seconds of awe put in, haha!).

 

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE PERFECT?

Here I go blowing the lid off something we all already know.

The thing is, perfect 10s like these don’t really exist.

As a coach with over 20 years experience, I have been fortunate enough to work with a huge variety of clients, from all walks of life.

This includes housewives, extremely overweight people, mothers, and teenagers, as well as high profile models, professional female athletes, actresses and “fitness babes”.

And I can tell you unequivocally that these flawless women simply – Do. Not. Exist.

It is just an ultra- inconsistent, unforgivably unrealistic concept we are constantly bombarded with by the media in all its forms.

And what this theory says is that unless you are “perfect” as a woman, you are somehow “flawed” or “unacceptable”.

After all, we live in a society where sexual objectification of women is not only considered normal, but is also the expected behaviour.

Woman are objects – they are there to be used for men’s pleasure.

They are solely instruments designed for titillation, and need to dedicate their lives to make sure they live up to this ideal.

However, it is a completely different story for men.

Men are not there to be gauged. Can you think of any advertising campaign right now that features men as sexual objects?

Men, after all, are the ones in control. They are there to give their opinions and judgement on women and their perceived value and worth, based on their sexual appeal and allure.

And if a woman doesn’t measure up – well, toss her to the dogs.

 

IT COULD BE YOUR MOTHER, YOUR SISTER OR YOUR DAUGHTER

What a tragedy it is when we feed the women we love in our lives these grotesque lies.

I have seen this monster up close and first hand – my daily conversations with my female clients over the years have shown me beyond any doubt how badly our society is skewed in favour of objectifying and sexualising women.

This means that we are telling the women we love they are there to be used and graded according to what men think of them.

That if they don’t measure up, they are worthless.

And the damage this mantra does to a woman’s sense of self and self worth, and her ability to relate to herself and the people she loves is…pretty terrifying.

What sort of sick society are we to set up an impossible goal…then punish someone for not making the grade?

It’s hang-ups like these that actually prevent the vast majority of women from going to a gym and working out in the first place.

Which leads to a disastrously vicious cycle, as women can derive so much from strength training – but they will never even have a chance to derive any benefit if they are scared to go in the first place.

After all, the number one indicator of longevity in women is…MUSCLE MASS.

The more muscle you have as a woman, the longer and healthier you will live.

If you are a woman and you are not spending a small part of each day taking care of that goal, then you are setting yourself up for some serious problems – and the even worse ramifications – in the not too distant future.

And this is the message I wanted to send out with our Lift Like a Girl campaign.

 

THIS IS HOW YOU BECOME AMAZING

I am proud to say we have some pretty remarkable women training here.

They hail from all walks of life.

They are grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and sisters.

They are married, single, young and not so young.

They have schedules just like all other women. They are busy, they are in demand, and other people depend on them and make impossible requests of them and their time.

They are normal women who happen to be absolutely amazing in every way.

As they have discovered that by making time for themselves and their own health, they can walk the path of greatness.

In the middle of all the chaos and breathlessness of life, they have discovered that nothing is as important and as empowering as taking care of themselves.

Because you can only and truly help effectively when you are in a position of power.

It is only by being strong inside, that you can help the ones who love you be strong too.

It is only when you have the strength to let them lean on you, that you can give them others the fortitude they need to get to their goals.

This is the message I wanted to send out to all women out there.

And I wanted women to be the one sending it out.

Our very own, amazing BodyForge girls. To other women, just like them.

From women who have already gone through the initiation process, and who have been empowered by it.

To show other women that it can really be done.

It’s not just an advertising ploy.

It’s about life as we make it. Our decisions make our own destinies.

That is why I didn’t want the message to come from me directly.

I am seen as an athlete, and the potency of this idea would have been diluted by my delivery.

So, I wanted some of my most dedicated, hard working ladies to come together, and have a great training session, while we would document it and then share it with others.

Just to show what a session at The Forge is like.

It’s not just about training, and reps and beasting it out.

It’s about fun. It’s about learning. It’s about the discovery of self.

It’s about facing your fear and stepping outside the box. Because working within your boundaries will never allow you to grow.

And it’s about the complete and honest support we give our clients to get there.

Because walking alone is one thing.

But walking along with a mentor who is truly and completely immersed into your success is a different planet entirely.

 

IT ALL STARTS WITH A TRUE DESIRE TO CHANGE

Change is daunting, but it’s really nowhere near as scary as how a lot of women portray it in their minds.

In the same way, what women are and what gives them value has nothing to do with how they are told to see themselves in their minds.

What makes you a “perfect 10” is not simply a sum of your bodyparts.

It is a mindset. It is the way you approach things.

It is the ability to see opportunity in setbacks. The gift to derive strength from failures.

It is the realization that perfection is impossible and one’s true goal can never be that of attaining perfection.

But of striving for excellence.

It is becoming the best version of yourself you can be.

One step at a time, every day.

You will never, ever have the perfect ass, or perfect boobs, or perfect legs.

But then again, you are not just bodyparts are you?

The “perfect 10” is not a sum of the parts – it is the appreciation of the whole.

 

ALWAYS START FROM THE INSIDE OUT

A woman, is after all, a complete person.

And it is understanding the essence of this completeness that will give you the true meaning of happiness.

It is being at peace with who you are.

And what you stand for.

It is knowing that every day, you have done something that makes you a little better than yesterday.

A continuous, harmonious symphony of perseverance, evidenced by all those tiny, incremental victories over the weaknesses in oneself.

Now, if I could get just one woman to believe this and live by this, then my mission as a coach would have fulfilled its purpose.

A heartfelt thank you to all these BodyForge ladies who, despite all odds, get their weekly workout fix in their quest to be a perfect 10.

The BodyForge brand of perfect 10.

And, in the meantime, while doing this, they honour me and others around them with the opportunity to see awesomeness as it happens.

You girls are the beacons of enlightenment and strength in what it truly takes to be a woman.

And all you other girls who believe this, are welcome to join us.

Keep rockin’ us every day, ladies!!

I LOVE your rock ‘n’ roll.

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