Strong & Curvy: My New Normal

I shared an update on my fitness journey a few weeks ago and received such an amazing response from you guys. I’ve been working really hard on my health and even started a new 8-week plan with Sumeet this past Monday. I’ve got a few goals and I’ll share more on that in a later post but after taking some time to think about where I’m at currently, today’s topic just made sense.

Over the past few weeks, my body has been evolving. Sure, I’ve lost weight and inches and it’s pretty surreal to see those changes week to week. However, there are a few bigger changes going on and the biggest is my appreciation of my shape.

I’ve always had strong legs. In high school, I ran track, was on the gymnastics team (beam and vault) and cheered all four years. My mom put me in dance when I was three and I did that through college. My legs have always been strong. But I haven’t always loved them. I used to refer to them as hams and thunder thighs and just wanted long, skinny, thigh-gap-friendly legs.

In addition to my thighs, as I got older, my butt got bigger. It literally came out of nowhere my senior year in college. I noticed my hips started to get wider and my booty started to get a little rounder. I wasn’t as welcoming of those curves for whatever reason and spent years trying to target those areas for fat loss.

To be honest, it was only in the past year that I really started to appreciate my curves. Even more recently though, I’ve come to a new realization.

I am strong and curvy and that is one dynamic duo.

One of the reasons I chose to work with Sumeet was because of the results I saw from her previous clients. She worked with all body types and shapes and sizes. Thin, muscular, curvy, full figured, etc. She worked with them all and all of the women had different results based on the shape they were looking to achieve. They didn’t all end up with skinny legs and thigh gaps or six packs and strong shoulders. Some did, but some didn’t. Everyone had their own thing they wanted to evolve and shape and I loved that she was able to build up these amazing women based on their bodies.

For me, I knew I wanted to lose fat but not lose my curves. I love my butt and my hips and my my muscular things. I needed help with taking all of that and evolving into a healthy shape which, for me, was all about being STRONG and CURVY. That’s what I told Sumeet I wanted to accomplish. And that’s where I see myself going.

I never thought that strong could be sexy. I never thought that toning my curves was possible. I never thought that I could be strong and curvy. To see my body slowly transform but still maintain my shape is a pretty magical feeling. I’ve never felt more confident and healthy. Not skinny or bikini-ready or whatever nonsense we’re programmed to go after. I feel confident and HEALTHY. I feel like my body is finally starting to take the shape meant for me in a healthy way. I will never be a size zero. I will probably never have a thigh gap. Who knows if I’ll ever have a six pack. What I do know is that my round booty, wide hips, muscular thighs and semi-toned (almost) waist is perfect for ME.

So, here’s to celebrating YOUR normal. Whether that’s muscular, thin, toned, full figured, athletic, not-toned…it doesn’t matter. All of our shapes are different and it’s up to us to create the healthiest versions of ourselves rather than trying to fit into what society tells us is “heathy”.

Comment below if you’re celebrating your own version of normal or if you have any questions on my fitness journey to date!