Car Issues and the Power of Strength Training

Yesterday I was driving with my stepdaughter to my mother-in-laws house and the undercarriage to my car started dragging. We had a little incident when camping the past weekend which caused it to loosen and I had taped it until I could get to a mechanic. Obviously, that didn’t work.

We get to my in-laws house and I knew I was going to have to either tape it back up or take it off. When I looked underneath the car, I knew it had to get it off the car. I tried doing it flat but the car needed to be up so I used my noggin and figured out I could put it up on a curb and underneath it. There were only 3 screws holding it up but they weren’t coming out. I finally got each of them loosened and had to pull several times to get the piece. It was over 105 degrees and I was hot, sweaty and dirty. When I popped out from under the car, my stepdaughter said, “I’m glad you lift and are strong.” It made me laugh but also made me proud. 

Then it made me start thinking about all the training I have been doing for 17+ years. How that training has not only made me physically strong but mentally confident in myself. With that mental confidence also comes resourcefulness because I KNOW I can do hard things and I KNOW I can figure things out on my own. Am I saying I never ask for help? Of course not. But I can do so many things and for that I am proud and grateful. 

I talk to a lot of people who say can’t or shouldn’t or won’t. Those are my people. Not because I want them to feel that way but because I have been there. I was told don’t lift too much or you might get too big. Or don’t spend too much time playing sports or you won’t have time for dating. All the things athletic girls and women hear (yep, it’s still a thing). Most of my thoughts were in the ‘shouldn’t do’ realm because I was raised and told I could do anything but I heard the phrase ‘girls shouldn’t do’ quite often. I’m here to help break those barriers for women and empower them to do those things they can’t or shouldn’t or won’t.

I am hopeful continuing to share my story, my strength and my confidence helps others out. Nobody has always had it easy. Nobody has ever been perfect. And nobody has never failed. But we can learn and grow from all those hard times, those imperfect times and those failures. Building a strong body does build a strong mind. So take some time and look at where you were and where you are now. See how much you have done and how much you have grown. And think about how much stronger you will be. 

Strength training isn’t just about building muscle. It’s about being empowered. It’s about knowing you can choose to do hard things so when you don’t have a choice, you can be strong. 

Good effort. Positive attitude.