"Strong is The New Skinny"-From a Skinny Girl's Perspective

When I first heard the phrase, "Strong is the new skinny", I instantly LOVED it. When I found out there were shirts, I ordered one right away. But when I got it...I was actually kind of hesistant to wear it to the gym the first time. I almost felt like I didn't "deserve" to wear it because, well...I AM skinny.
I've been "skinny" all my life and have often felt insecure about it. Yeah, I know, you're probably thinking, "Insecure about being skinny??" Yup.... I can remember hating my skinny legs since I was a little girl. Then add to that having people constantly say how skinny I am or always hearing, "You're so little", or people saying that I need to gain about 5lbs or "put some meat on my bones"(I HATE that one!! If only you knew how hard I try!)....or even the few times my sister and mom have told me that I looked anorexic.

Yeah....those type of comments really get to me. They make me feel insecure and self conscious about the way I look. Those comments hurt me just as much as it hurts someone who's made fun of for being fat, or being told that they need to lose a few pounds.

But you know what? I know that I can wear my SINS shirt with pride. Because while I may be skinny, I'm not JUST skinny -I am STRONG. I love shocking people by showing them how much this "little" girl can squat or deadlift, or how many pullups I can do, or how much I can bench press. :)

"Strong is the new skinny" is NOT about whether you're fat or skinny or somewhere in between, whether you're a size 2 or a size 10. It's not about your weight on the scale or what size jeans you wear. The whole point is about getting away from focusing SO much on your outside appearance.

What it means to me, is accepting yourself for who you are and how you were made and not focusing on your flaws or constantly comparing yourself to others. It's not caring about what "society" says you're supposed to look like as a woman. It's about being proud of your strength and your hard earned muscle and what your body can do. It's about loving yourself and being confident with who you are-NOT just trying to reach a certain number on the scale!

We all have insecurites, and trying to just get "skinny" or get a 6 pack, or whatever it is, will never fix those insecurities or make you happy with yourself. You will still pick yourself apart and compare yourself to other people, no matter how skinny or lean you get. Even the skinniest, leanest, fittest looking person can have insecurites and body issues. If you always focus on just what's on the outside, you will never be satisfied with yourself.

That's one of the things I like about CrossFit versus bodybuilding/figure. CrossFit gives you so many other things to focus on than your looks, while bodybuilding is very much focused on your outside appearance. It's true. (Remember, I did bodybuilding style workouts for about 7 years!)

None of us will ever completely get rid of all of our insecurities. But something definitely changes when you switch your mindset from what you look like to your strength and what you can DO.

"Beautiful women are strong and powerful. They are athletes, capable of every feat under the sun. They have muscles, borne of hard work and sweat. They gauge their self-worth through accomplishments, not by the numbers on the bathroom scale."

Get the SINS shirt here:
http://strongisthenewskinny.spreadshirt.com/