Becoming fitter has been an empowering experience. I expected and hoped that if I ever lost a significant amount of weight, it would be the ‘looking more attractive by societal standards’ that would make me feel more empowered or confident. Surprisingly, it has been the increased strength and ability that really makes me feel empowered as a female.
It’s feeling that I can do whatever the men in the gym are doing - even if I’m the only woman in the weightlifting area. This doesn’t mean I can lift the same amount of weight (although sometimes I can, and then some). It means I can perform the exercises with the same level of knowledge, the same form, and the same conviction.
Women can often be apprehensive to leave the cardio machines at the gym and try out squat racks or barbells, but leaving this comfort zone is key to not only being stronger but feeling stronger. That I can do chest presses with 35 lb weights AND run three miles on the treadmill makes me feel truly empowered when I enter the gym every day.
Other aspects of my life have fed my belief that female empowerment should not by suppressed, but ardently supported. I’m a journalist and I love stories that place a spotlight on the lives of women; PRI does this wonderfully through the Across Women’s Lives and #HerRights series. Example: this piece.
And having just joined the Athleta team (I’ve been a Gap Inc. team member for several years, but only just started with Athleta), I receive daily support from my team to live both a happy and healthy life. Example: I’m running my first 5k next month because of Athleta MOA.
But there’s nothing quite like the self-love and empowerment that comes out of adding fitness into the mix. I leave work to take the bus toward the gym and already feel I have a team of women who believe I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to that day. And after an evening at the gym or an afternoon of yoga, I’m usually feeling both exhausted and reenergized - ready for the next day. All the while, I see women inside and outside the gym who inspire me to be more and do more.
I don’t necessarily want to make readers feel as though this blog is only for other women, because both men and women can surely relate to my experiences over the last six months. But I do want to be up front - the journey has meant a lot to me particularly in the context of being a woman.
