Haters Gonna Hate

It’s a sad world we live in where every single shape and size is criticized. You’re either too fat, too thin or too muscular. It’s a fact of life that you are never going to be able to please everyone, nor should you try to. However, I think it’s truly disheartening that in today’s day and age people are so damn cruel. If a woman is ten pounds heavier than the “ideal” body type or ten pounds thinner…they get so much damn backlash for it. Not to mention the scrutiny that a fit and toned woman has to endure just because she has a more defined figure than what society has deemed beautiful.

 

Let me start off by saying, if you are judging a woman (or anyone for that matter) because they are heavier or thinner then what you think they should be, you can go to hell. Just because you’re insecure and not confident in yourself doesn’t give you the right to project that shit onto other people. For starters, you don’t know that persons story or their struggles. Secondly, perhaps that is THEIR ideal body type, tough shit if it’s not yours. Maybe they feel best when they have a few more curves on them or are thin and svelte. I am in no way advocating obesity or being emaciated by any means, because of course I promote and encourage a healthy lifestyle, but a few pounds extra or less is nothing to criticize someone for. Even if they were extremely over or under weight…does they’re weight really affect your life that much? Do you not have anything better to do throughout your day then put others down for their appearance? If you’re answering yes, you should seek therapy, because you have issues. 

 

What is even more infuriating and bewildering is that there are so many people who disparage fit women. Most of society, in my opinion, still has the idea that a woman is meant to be “soft”. If someone came around and told me I was soft, they’d get a dumbbell thrown at their head. The misconception that being muscular isn’t feminine or accepted amongst woman kind completely blows my mind. But those who think that are right, it isn’t feminine, it’s fucking bad ass.

 

Just because you don’t think that is sexy or attractive, doesn’t mean that person doesn’t. Do you think that reproaching a woman for being too “muscular”, “manly” or “gross” is going to make the slightest difference? She’s clearly put in work to look the way she does, and you’re going to discourage that….what’s the point? Do you think she lifts for your approval or that she really gives a flying fuck what you think of her? No. She doesn’t work out for you. She has set her own personal goals that she’s worked her ass off to achieve. She lifts as a release. Her workouts are her own form of therapy. She lifts for herself. I personally, don’t lift for anyone else, but I’ll be damned if someone discredits my hard work just because they’re a little bitch. I can probably attest for most women with that statement.

 

If you don’t want a muscular body, then guess what, you don’t have to have one. 

 

WAIT…WHAT?! MIND…BLOWN!

 

I have actually seen more men put down a fit and muscular woman amongst a variety of fitness blogs and facebook pages. That just flat out disgusts me. What actual man sits there and puts down a woman’s body? A man who clearly is missing his balls, and who doesn’t even lift. 

 

Here is my logic for why anyone would criticize a fit woman. 

 

1. They’re too lazy to get off their ass and do something about their current physical state. 
2.  Jealous that this person has the motivation, dedication and determination to lift the way they do.
3. They're a pussy.
4. Insecure with their own selves and lash out on others because they can’t achieve the same goals.
5. Intimidated by a strong woman...in which case, refer to #3.

To date, this is still one of my favorite quotes, and really puts a lot into perspective.
    
                      "Haters hate. Some people will bring you down when they see you changing,
                      evolving and becoming better. It is because somehow they  have to make
                      themselves feel better because they lack the willpower to do what you are doing.
                      Ignore them".

 

I can guarantee that every single person who sits there and pokes fun at something about someone else, is far from having the perfect body themselves. But that’s the thing, there is no perfect body. While my ideal body type could be diesel to the likes of Dana Linn Bailey, another person’s ideal body might be softer and curvaceous similar to Marilyn Monroe. & that’s OK! To this day, I don't understand why so many people think that everyone should look the same.
 

What's even more disgusting when perfectly beautiful and healthy women in Hollywood are crucified for their weight. Every single pound is monitored by the press. There are wars breaking out and huge political battles, and you’re more concerned with the extra five pounds Kim Kardashian has put on? Some people truly do want to watch the world burn. This is one of the main reasons why there are so many young girls suffering from eating disorders, because society has engrained in their head that they have to look a certain way in order to considered beautiful and socially acceptable. I could rant for hours on the link between the media and eating disorders, but perhaps I’ll save that subject for another post.  

 

So, stop being a straight up jackass by judging everyone around you based on their physical appearance. Go spend your time doing something productive to society, otherwise you’re honestly just a waste of space. Why don’t you get your own issues straightened out before you put your bullshit on others. You're not better than anyone else. You're just a hater.

  

 

Now ladies, keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t listen to any of the bullshit that is spewed from other people’s mouths. Live for yourself. Adhere to your own sense of beauty, not anyone else’s.

Scoliosis....you sure are one huge bitch.

Injuries suck. Point blank. There’s no way to get around that fact. If you’re an athlete, a gym rat, or hell…even human….you’ve probably had an injury or two. Having been an athlete and spending much of my time confined within the walls of the gym, I’ve suffered a handful of injuries, probably too many to count. Recently, I did exactly that. Two injuries in two weeks…so not ideal.

It’s Sunday, leg day. The week prior I had hit my own PR of 205lbs x 6 reps. So I try banging it out again during this next work out. Nailed it. I’m feeling good, great actually. So I decide to go for 215lbs x 6. I get to 4 reps without a problem, and my left low back snaps. I thought maybe it was just a muscle spasm, so I rack the weight and rest for a bit. I strip the weight down to 175lbs, try to bang out 12 reps. Two reps in and I was shot. So I racked the weight and literally just walked out of the gym.

I haven’t pulled a muscle in my back that bad since last summer when I completely threw my back out. I let a couple weeks go by, resting it and taking it easy. Two weeks later, it’s still bothering me, and then all of a sudden, doing nothing in particular, my knee starts swelling up and is so damn tender that I can’t even walk or stand on it. 

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I have scoliosis. It’s not a terribly extreme case, but I have just enough of a curvature that prohibits me from being able to do a lot of things easily that other people find to be no problem, like standing for more than 30 minutes without extreme pain. Due to this, without even realizing it, I’ve created some muscular imbalances and weakened the intrinsic muscles that you normally don’t work out at the gym, that I’m much more susceptible to injury. It’s been a huge hindrance for the past decade or so to say the least. I hadn’t been X-rayed or even had it looked at since I was first diagnosed, so I decided to make a physical therapy and doctor’s appointment. 

Physical therapy sounds like it’d be a breeze, but I was nervous as all hell, to put it lightly. I suppose I was expecting the worst news possible. But I finally went...and nailed it. I actually really enjoyed it...although I found out I was kind of more fucked up that I thought.

Basically, although I do have a curvature in my spine, that wasn’t contributing to most of my pain. My hips seem to be the culprit. From the scoliosis and poor posture to 15 years of dancing, my hips have developed an extreme anterior pelvic tilt. So basically, it looks like I’m arching my back and trying to stick my ass out…but that’s literally how my body is aligned. Because of this poor alignment, my hips have been pulling on all of my back muscles (which has been the main cause of my pain) and in turn, effecting my IT band (in addition to the fact that I don’t stretch it as much as I should) which has caused my knee to flare up. My spine I can’t correct, just prevent from getting worse. However, I can correct my hips over time, in which I’ll be going to physical therapy every week for. 

It all makes sense now, by squatting with such an extreme pelvic tilt, I’ve been placing such an immense amount of stress on my low back for the past 6 months. Had I known about this tilt, I could have focused on it during my squats and prevented this from happening. But how am I supposed to know any better…that’s how I’ve been for as long as I can remember. So now I feel like I’m starting over. I can’t squat or deadlift as heavy until my form is absolutely perfect and my hips are corrected more. I have to say, it’s quite the blow to my ego, and I’ve been pissed off for weeks. I’d be lying if I didn’t get down on myself and a little depressed about the whole thing. 

But one day, I was venting to a friend and something they said made me realize that I’ve been acting like an idiot. My scoliosis is not the end of the world. Sure, it’s a chronic condition that I will always have to deal with, but I’m not paralyzed or anything. There are people who’ve lost limbs, who have serious diseases and who are even on their death bed. I’m lucky and fortunate enough to not be one of them. In addition to all of that, I’m able to do more and lift heavier weight than a lot of people in the gym who are perfectly healthy. & the fact that I have this hindrance and I’ve still been able to do what I’ve been doing, isn’t all that bad. 

If any of you have or are currently suffering any injuries, the best advice I can give you is to rest and take it easy. Listen to your body. Don't push yourself further than you're capable of going and surely don't sacrifice form for weight.

So, I’m setting my ego and my emotions to the side, and focusing on getting myself back together. If I have to squat and dead lift much lighter weight until my hips can support it, so be it. In the long run, it’s the smartest move possible. 

But let’s be honest…scoliosis….you sure are one huge bitch.