More self-confidence and energy through strength
Reading time : 3 min | Author : Michèle Hug
“I want to create the idea myself, not just be a product of it.” Okok, I can see you rolling your eyes when I tell you that this Barbie movie quote (2023) provided the hook for my contribution to empowerment. But please: Give me a chance: today I would like to explain to you why this quote on self-determination & self-competence is so appropriate – especially with regard to strength training.
In a country before our time (who thinks of Littlefoot?), a reality prevailed that we can hardly imagine today. Women in the gym or top-class sport had a hard time.
In the past, the “fitness” part for women consisted mainly of gentle gymnastics – and this was more passive than active and strenuous. @jessicacarolinbock also comments on this on TikTok, referring to outdated social norms of the 1950s, under which women were only allowed to move delicately and discreetly. In the 1960s, women were even encouraged to “reduce their live weight” by using a fat-massaging machine. Don’t you believe it? See with your own eyes the retro video of the fat removal machine: Der ewige Kampf gegen die Pfunde – Diäten 1966 | Fett wegmassieren lassen mit Maschine | SRF Archiv
From “massage fat away” to “I can!”
HALLELUJA has come a long way in the meantime. We have moved away from the passive role of women when it comes to fitness. Instead of glorifying the miserable slimming spiral, we now celebrate Strong Me: we actively take responsibility for our bodies, our health and our psyche. Build it your way, in other words.
Nor have I always been where I am today. On the contrary, Body Dismorphia left its mark on my mental world. This disturbance of body perception first led me to eat less and do exclusively cardio-training. All this exhausted me, and my self-confidence was zero.
The turning point came when I integrated weight training into my workout routine and combined it with a healthy, whole-food diet: I began to feel stronger physically AND, above all, mentally. My body became more defined and my mind more resilient.
I noticed how my self-confidence increased with every workout. Not only because my outer appearance radiated more strength and therefore appeared healthier, but also because my inner voice became more positive. It started to say: I can. I will. Over and over again. And it’s all my idea!
Empower yourself
And this is exactly where the quote comes in: With an idea of mine that I created myself. Because I freed myself from a “product” that misguided me (skinny madness).
Strength training has given me more self-confidence. I have more energy, am more focused and have more stamina. So I have empowered myself:
- to be self-determined: I actively take responsibility for my body & mind
- to act self-competently: I train my discipline with regular strength training and am more focused and mentally persistent as a result
Sports role models, who I have also set as my lock screen background on my smartphone, motivate me to keep going. And we have countless of them in Switzerland: Athletes like Mujinga Kambundji, Belinda Bencic or Lara Gut-Berahmi show the potential that lies in the body and mind of every woman. Potential that needs to be actively used.
The example of “112,000 Lady” Sophie Lavaud shows that not only top athletes, but also “completely normal” people can achieve incredible things: she is the only Swiss woman to have successfully climbed all 14 eight-thousanders in the world. The former businesswoman had to turn her life around after the 2008 financial crisis – and set herself breathtaking goals in her thirties in the truest sense of the word, without ever having been a professional athlete. (Sophie Lavaud: the ‘Queen of Climbers’ | Barclays Private Bank).
Her empowerment lay in venturing into a completely new area – and scaling the world’s highest peaks with discipline and incredible stamina.
Create your own idea – and write your very own story.
Start your strength training now with ACTIV FITNESS.
Best regards
Michèle