On this Valentine's Day, my call to action for our community at CrossFit Ampthill, is to place that spotlight even closer to home and to celebrate love for themselves and the achievements they have made since beginning their fitness journey; in short, celebrating what their bodies can do.
Body image, is a hot topic in the media right now; in the last week, we have seen two very high profile examples where women at the top of their game have come under scrutiny from internet trolls regarding the way they look.
The most high profile of these cases, was the incredible Lady Gaga. I think it is fair to say, that Lady Gaga's spectacular performance at Super Bowl 51 last week was an integral part of what made the event so historic. I would go as far to say that the halftime show was as jaw-dropping as Brady and co's comeback later in the game...I mean, how could you watch that performance and not feel pumped coming in to the second half!?
As a fitness coach (with precisely zero singing, acting or dancing ability) watching Gaga's performance, I was in awe of her choreography and how she was able to maintain an intense, captivating performance for the duration - I'm no expert and nor do I profess to be a Gaga fan, but I'm pretty sure every note she hit was intentional and flawless and I can only imagine what level of conditioning she needed to be in to pull off such a show.
It was a shame to hear, waking up from the excitement of the Super Bowl, that Lady G had come under fire from internet trolls some of whom insinuating that she looked "fat" in some of her costumes. I can only reasonably assume that there was something wrong with the dimensions of these viewers' televisions; because it seemed to me that the stunning performer I was watching looked fit, healthy and at the top of her game!Body image aside, I was totally in awe of what Gaga could actually do with her body on stage, from her aerial descent at the start of the show right through to her epic catch at the end (only just pipped by Julian Edelman's for reception of the night), she was an inspiration.
In the CrossFit world, one of our superstars also came under fire this last week from trolls, this time from within the turbulent word of online dating.
Emily Abbott, a top 10 competitor in the CrossFit Games, received criticism on a dating site for looking too "masculine". For anyone not familiar with Emily Abbott, she is a phenomenal athlete who is among the most capable human beings on the planet...to qualify for the CrossFit Games, you have to be on another level...to finish top 10 is practically superhuman. In terms of celebrating what the human body is truly capable of, you just have to watch highlights of Emily and other athletes at her level go about their ritual of daily training and their performances at the CrossFit Games. How these athletes move seamlessly from complex gymnastic movements to highly technical olympic lifts is extraordinary, it is quite literally poetry in motion and the epitome of beauty.
I respect the fact that Emily Abbott, through her Instagram, stood up for herself and all the women around the world who participate in fitness pursuits, in light of the abuse she received and used her status to reinforce the message that 'yes" - you can be strong, you can be athletic, you can be feminine and you can be beautiful. Over all, Emily and her counterparts advocate rising above what others may think or may say about you; and celebrate what you are capable of and what you have worked so hard to build.
At CrossFit Ampthill, we acknowledge that most people, when they come through our doors for the first time, do so, with goals related to their body image. Most commonly we hear about people wishing to lose weight (which usually means reducing body fat) or people wishing to tone up (build muscle). We know that the stories in the media highlighted this week by Lady Gaga and Emily Abbott are relatable to most people we work with, and therefore supporting people through these issues is very much our vocation.
On a day to day basis we tell our clients to celebrate their small victories...to worry less about the scales and more about their progress on the whiteboard, to ring that PB bell whenever they master a new movement or achieve a weightlifting benchmark and to support each other in doing so.
Currently our members are taking part in a 28 day nutrition and wellness challenge in preparation for the CrossFit Open. As part of this challenge, our members are thinking about what they are eating each day in order to support their own individual body composition goals, however, a bigger emphasis is being placed on what they are actually achieving in the box as a result of increased nutrition and wellness awareness.
This week, as part of their challenge, our members, are encouraged to think about what they have learned to love about their bodies, or themselves generally, since taking up CrossFit, and we have set them a challenge to share their experiences via social media. It could be a photograph showing off something they can now do, that they never thought was possible before; perhaps their first pull-up, their first 5km run or their first handstand. It could be a 'before" and "after" photo that demonstrates the changes they have made in their bodies or simply a testimonial to describe how they're mindset may have developed.
Either way, this week is about "loving the skin you're in" , celebrating what your body can do and how far you've traveled.
If this sounds like something you would like to be a part of, we can offer so much more than CrossFit, with personal training, nutritional coaching and goal-setting appointments with qualified and compassionate Coaches and an inclusive and supportive community around to help you; it all starts with a "no sweat consultation" which you can book with one of our team here.
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