We’re in the midst of a cultural values shift that’s nothing short of awesome: women are no longer interested in starving themselves to become skinny Minnies. Instead, we want to look and feel strong, capable, and empowered. More and more of us want to take full possession of our bodies so we can own them, love them, and nurture them in all the right ways. We want to maximize their potential by building strength, stamina, flexibility, and the sculpted muscles that show what we are truly capable of doing. In short, we want to become our very own badasses, our own superheroes.
Psychologically, our collective ideology of what’s attractive has shifted from the damsel in distress to women kicking butt. To going hard or going home. Women’s attitudes toward their eating and exercise habits have followed suit: Instead of eating like rabbits or guinea pigs, we’re more interested in eating like cheetahs, using food as fuel to power our actions, our movements, our ferocity. Instead of gravitating exclusively toward kinder, gentler yoga and Pilates workouts, women are increasingly turning to hard-core training regimens like Tabata, P90X, Insanity, and CrossFit. In fact, just as Pilates dropped out of the top twenty fitness trends in 2011, boot-camp workouts stepped up in popularity to take its place in health clubs, according to research presented at the 2013 American College of Sports Medicine Health and Fitness Summit.
Consider this: after the 2012 Olympics, a survey by Lifestyle 247 (a company that runs boot camps and fitness retreats in the United Kingdom) found that 72 percent of women would prefer to have a strong, more athletic figure, and 35 percent of women feel “repulsed” by the sight of super-skinny celebrities. On September 30, 2013, Access Hollywood declared on its website, “Strong is the new skinny is the fitness mantra of the moment.” In December 2013, Reuters ran an article about the changing nature of fitness regimens for women with the headline STRONG IS THE NEW SEXY in workouts for women. A consensus is growing that strong is sexy and healthy and hot; striving to be rail-thin is not.
Trust us: we know what we’re talking about, because between the two of us, we have lots of experience in this arena. For years, Jen has been a go- to fitness expert for scores of media outlets and celebrity clients, as well as a fitness spokesperson for Weight Watchers International, appearing in two of the company’s fitness DVD series and as the host of its popular online “Fit in a Minute” videos. She was one of the featured trainers on the debut season of the TV reality show Shedding for the Wedding, where she helped contestants collectively lose hundreds of pounds. She is the health and fitness columnist for Forbes.com and Health.com. Meanwhile, Stacey is an award-winning health and fitness writer as well as a certified Spinning instructor and an Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) certified group exercise instructor.
To achieve such get-strong, get-confident goals, it’s time for all women to start having a new dialogue with our bodies and start treating, feeding, and moving them in more empowering ways. To get the process rolling, Strong Is the New Skinny offers a reality-based diet, lifestyle, and fitness program (the SINS plan, for short) for women who want to crank up their level of health and fitness and become stronger and sexier starting now. It’s time to give up the body-bashing and physical faultfinding patterns our culture has encouraged for decades. Instead, the time is ripe to embrace what your body can do, not just how it looks, and find ways to maximize your own physique’s strength and power in everyday life.
Indeed, the goal of developing a strong, well-defined body is fast becoming the new inspiration and aspiration in the fitness arena—and for good reason. The reality is that not every woman can (or should) be skinny, but every single one of us can be fit, strong, sexy, and healthy. It’s a goal every woman should strive for. Why? Because being strong is hot and healthy and vibrant! It’s a state that will enable you to achieve your goals in multiple areas of your life and feel good about who you are and what you can do. This book will give you all the tools to become strong from the inside out: nutritionally, physically, psychologically, and emotionally.
That’s why your new personal mantra will quickly become Strong is the new skinny. The secret to achieving this goal efficiently and effectively is to treat your body like a luxury automobile—by giving it the proper fuel, rest, rejuvenation, and other forms of TLC it needs and deserves and by giving it the right physical challenges. In the case of our bodies, the movement part of the equation means doing the optimal combination of cardio, strength training, and flexibility exercises. Plus, each time you eat nutritious, delicious foods, make sleep and R & R the priority they should be, and get your body moving vigorously, you will be building your self-image and your physical prowess and evolving in the best possible ways. You will be slashing your risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, breast and colon cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and many other life-threatening conditions. You also will be treating yourself to increased stamina, a boost in mood, enhanced immune function, and improved concentration, productivity, and memory function. Over time, living a fit and active lifestyle can even help you reverse many of the effects of aging.
Putting these elements together will allow you to stop living a Groundhog Day of bad diet and movement choices and negative thoughts—and replace them with positive actions and a take-charge attitude. Taking this approach will help you lose inches, drop pounds, sculpt your body, and feel better about yourself than you ever have. Our goal is to help you enhance and strengthen your physique properly—without causing injury or burnout—and to help you develop the mental vigor you need and deserve to have for life.
But this transformation is not going to happen while you’re sitting on your butt (unless you’re cycling or lifting weights while you do it). You have to make this pursuit a priority. The reality is that most of us probably don’t do everything we want to or think we should do every single day. Our guess is that you find at least a little time to select your clothes, apply your makeup, and style your hair. You might even find time to stop at your favorite java joint and order your preferred pick-me-up on the way to work each day. Are we right? We thought so. But do you make time to do a set of squats or planks or to grill vegetables? Maybe not.
In this book, we’re going to help you challenge and push yourself out of your comfort zone so you can get fitter, stronger, and healthier—at your own pace and at any age. When you start seeing yourself progressing and achieving physical feats you didn’t think you could, the conversations in your head will begin to change naturally. The critical slumlord will be evicted and replaced by a motivating coach who will convince you that you really can do this and stick to this. This is about building you up, not breaking you down. (How refreshing, right?!) This is about finding and harnessing your own internal positive energy so you can reach your potential and become the person you truly want to be. Ultimately, this is about giving your relationship with your body a makeover, one that will help you feel better about yourself from head to toe and inside and out.
Along the way, your self-esteem and self-confidence will soar, and they’ll reinforce the good work you’ve been doing and inspire you to kick it up a notch (or two or three or four if you’re already fit and want to train for more extreme challenges).
The great thing about the SINS program’s strength-based focus is that the process naturally results in building up your endurance and stamina. Going harder for longer is the key to popular fitness trends like CrossFit and competitions like Tough Mudder and Spartan Races. A person’s success in these endeavors is directly proportional to her level of “toughness”—physically, emotionally, and psychologically. The SINS program will build up your toughness; as you gain strength physically, accomplishing tasks that you previously were unable to complete, you also will pump up your confidence and can-do spirit.
As you begin to discover what you are truly capable of physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and professionally, one aspect of your life will have a positive ripple effect on another. The fitter and stronger you get and the more energy and mental strength and clarity you develop, the more capable you’ll feel to tackle other challenges with vigor and confidence. And the better your life will become in the process. We know that’s a big promise but think about it: What do you have to lose by trying besides the wicked stepmother or critical slave driver who resides in your head? Good riddance, we say.
So think about the shape you want to be in, what you want to achieve, and how you want to feel. Grab the ruby slippers, put them on, then say your goals out loud; repeat them often so you can start to believe in them and achieve them. Believing really does lead to achieving. The truth is that becoming healthy, fit, and strong is about so much more than fitting into your skinny jeans or registering a certain number on the scale. It’s about feeling emboldened and empowered and becoming the very best version of yourself that you can possibly be. This is about achieving feel-good, look-good fitness and wellness. Reading and heeding the advice in this book will help you embark on that journey and change your body and your life—for the better. We promise!