This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Leeds chapter.

Is strong the new skinny?

Forget cutting out snacks and yo-yo dieting – tasty shakes, protein pancakes and squat goals are fast becoming the new beauty blueprint.

Over the past year, but especially in the past 6 months, women’s fitness has become fashionable again. H&M was early to catch on to the trend in its fledgling stages, and was one of the first stores to stock cheap, on-trend sportswear pieces. At this point, home-workouts, matt exercises and cardio were the go-to get fit tricks. But more recently, gym bunnies and sport novices alike have been taking to the Smith machine and dumb bells. Weight rooms, which once perceived as a no-go area for women or weight-training itself preconceived as manly and non-conducive to an attractive female form, are now increasingly populated by women. To be healthy and strong is becoming an increasingly popular feminine ideal.

Now, you can find gym gear everywhere you look – New Look, M&S, Tesco and many more have all leapt onto the fitness bandwagon! To accompany this new fitness fanaticism, on-trend Instagrammers across the world are posting their fitness journeys. They post about their balanced, healthy diets which include plenty of protein, fruit, vegetables and carbs. A world where calories are more a friend than foe; food is fuel! Rather than low-fat, low-calorie substitutes, a healthy dose of chicken, vegetables and rice is now order of the day. And don’t forget the post-workout protein shake! Once assumed by many as more to do with male fitness, supplements are gaining popularity among women wanting to build muscle effectively.

I’m trying to keep it generally light-hearted here, but on a more serious note, I feel that there are a lot of good things to be said about this trend. First and foremost a beauty trend centred around getting fit, healthy and strong is, from where I’m standing, a very welcome step away from yo-yoing between fad diets and hours of intense cardio. Not to mention the perpetual disappointment if your body is anything less than the carbon copy of the tiny-waisted, washboard-stomached models and celebrities that dominate our magazines, advertising and TV screens.

At the core of this new fashion for sport, especially weight-training, is learning to love and respect your body and by extension, yourself. It’s about training to build both your mental and physical strength and by default, gaining confidence in your own skin.

Have I won you over yet? There are so many ways to go about weight-training, whether you’ve been going to the gym for years or never set foot in one in your life and if you’d rather it stays that way then you can workout at home, there is something for everyone. As women weight-training gains popularity this is becoming less of an issue, but when you’re starting out just be kind to yourself and don’t get embarrassed or intimidated by venturing into the weights area/room. Everyone has to start somewhere, so just take your time and progress through weights and exercises at a pace that suits you. If you’re worried about getting the correct form and not damaging your body, there is a wealth of internet resources available – an especially good one is bodybuilding.com, with everything from targeted workout and meal plans to individual breakdowns of techniques for particular exercises.

If you’re still unsure, why not ask a fitness-savvy friend, member of gym staff or take a course? The Edge recently offered a 6-week Women Only Strength Training Course over January and February, providing a solid basis for starting out with this form of exercise in a friendly environment with the reassurance of professional training and support.

I have battled with the gym, sport and my image for a number of years but over the past year and a bit, I got more into weight-training myself. This small change has brought me a lot of confidence and taught me to respect and care for my body a lot better than I might have done otherwise. You can go at your own pace and even if you don’t see results straight away, you will probably find you feel a mental before a physical gain. At the end of the day, it’s brilliant me-time, where all you have to focus on is you and your goals, thoughts away from work and study stresses. It doesn’t just have to be weights though – try a few different things and see what works for you; there is a lot of helpful but also contradictory advice out there, so just take your time and try out a few methods to see what works for your body.

And definitely…

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Is Strong The New Skinny?

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