As I look back at 2015, I felt and I sweat so much love. I’ve heard and seen journeys of amazing strength, weight-loss, and recovery. I screamed and hugged as I helped someone succeed at running to her fastest time ever. I watched as my friends finished marathons, climbed mountains, and were married.
All of this love should lead to simply that… more love. But through the grapevine I also heard things like: “Can you believe how skinny she is? I wonder if she actually eats?” and, “You’d be so much prettier if you fixed your teeth (or lost weight).” and, my personal favorite, “Are you really going to eat that?”
These are not words of love; these are statements of judgment. Whether we choose to admit it or not, we’ve all been there. The jealousy or the bouts of low self-esteem set in and we just pick other women apart. We rip them to shreds behind their back or even to their faces. In that brief moment, that really only lasts a second, we feel better about ourselves. Then most of us feel worse. We, as women and as athletes, should be doing whatever we can to help one another succeed. So, for 2016, I am making a promise to myself to not shame others but to empower, to inspire, and to help them go forth. Together, we are more beautiful.
In the theme of positivity, here are my five goals for the new year.
5 Goals for 2016
- Finish a Half-Marathon in less than two Hours and run a mile in less than seven minutes.
- Comfortably do a full pull-up (even if it means not being able to use my arms for days after).
- Having the courage to go for what I want with no regrets.
- Be healthy (which is different for everyone!) and be happy!
- Commit to encouraging and supporting other women’s goals and dreams!
Happy New Year sweaty friends!!
P.S. Since the holidays can be a time when you receive criticism from family, check out this post from Refinery29 with seven tips for dealing with body shaming comments.
About the Author: McCall is an Actress/ Makeup Artist (currently working for Sephora), living in the heart of West Los Angeles. She is addicted to dark chocolate, Arctic Zero Dairy-Free ice cream, and a good dose of movie theater popcorn (specifically at The Landmark). Her ultimate ClassPass adventure would be either trapeze or horseback riding lessons. But overall, she’s down to try anything. If you see her at a class, or even at work, feel free to say hello!
sweat and repeat 