Definition for Ladies Spring 2014 Issue 001 April 2014 | Page 62

I know competitive bodybuilding isn’t for everyone. It

have your own successes no matter how big or small they

doesn’t need to be that extreme. It can be starting an

may seem. I hear a lot of women say, “I could never look

aerobics class. It can be incorporating resistance training

like that.” “There is no way I would post pictures of myself

in your workout. Learning to appreciate your body may

like that.” Here’s the great news. You don’t have to!

take a little time. Be patient. Often we have neglected and
taken our bodies for granted for so long we don’t know
where to start. I like to start at the beginning. For me, that
was accepting the challenge for what is was. Giving myself
permission to love my body and all of its abilities. It is OK
to actively create a beautiful body for yourself. You do not
need to compete with any other body out there. However,
I did and still do have a body image in my mind. I truly
admire Monica Brant’s physique. I think she incorporates
beauty and strength perfectly. There are other amazing
female athletes that I admire. Some for their physique.
Some for their work ethic. Some for the struggles they have
conquered. Not all of the females that I channel are famous.
Some are just simply amazing humans. I think having
mentors, whether they know they are or not, is helpful. It
can give you a path to follow until you are able to blaze your
own. And you should blaze your own. No two people are
alike. You may never obtain exactly what your mentors have.
Great! That was and is their success. You need to create and

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For some of us, we were not born into social media. Our
birth was not announced on Facebook. Our first steps
were not tweeted. Our first day of school photo wasn’t
on Instagram. We feel uncomfortable with what appears
to be self-promotion and lack of privacy. Before you start
longing for the good old days, aren’t you glad you can see
how your child is doing in college? We can now be more
connected with our loved ones. How absolutely fantastic!
Unfortunately, these can also be frightening. People are now
able to post images of themselves instantly without thinking
of the long term. In today’s social media world we are
inundated with those selfies. In case you are one of the many
who read selfie in the title and thought, “What the heck
is that?”, a selfie is a picture one takes of themselves with a
phone and posts on social media sites. In the world of fitness
these are often taken in front of a bathroom mirror. I don’t
know why. My original thought was the lighting. However,
as the time elapses there are more and more of these in front

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spring | 2014 | definitionforladies.com