For decades fitness has pushed one narrative. Eat less, be smaller, take up less space. And while that had its moment or moments(in history) people namely women are finally realizing that being skinny didn’t automatically mean healthy, strong or confident. The shift is happening and I for one could not be happier! Muscle is the new skinny, not because it’s “in” but because it works!
Skinny Was A Look. Muscle Is A Plan
Being skinny focused on how you look. Muscle focuses on how you move and function. Muscle increases your metabolism, supports joint and bone health, improves body composition and makes life easier. Being skinny never did that. People are done chasing a look that makes them tired, frustrated and hungry.
The ‘Be Smaller” Era Is Over
The old way was easy(kinda). All you had to do was eat less(easier said than done) and do tons of cardio(also not that easy). The result of all this was yes you are skinnier but you also had low energy, stalled progress and burnout. Working harder at it didn’t mean more results, it just meant more exhaustion. In comes muscle training and flipped those ideas on their head..
Muscle Changes Your Body And Mindset
When you train to build muscle, your relationship with fitness changes! You stop punishing your body and start supporting it. You stop chasing fatigue and start chasing gains. Muscle allows you to eat without fear, train consistently without breaking down, feel strong not weak, look fit and not soft and tired! And yes your body composition changes as a side effect though, not because you decided you wanted to be “smaller”.
You Will Not Get Bulky
Let’s be real. You don’t accidentally gain a lot of muscle. Visible muscle takes years of consistent training and intention to gain lots of muscle. As women we just don’t have the levels of testosterone to gain a lot of muscle in a shorter period of time. Unless you’re taking steroids, you aren’t going to gain that much. You’re very lucky and genetically blessed if you can gain 5-10 pounds of muscle per year.
Muscle doesn’t make you bulky but if you’re not eating to support lean muscle gain, you might look that way because of excess fat tissue. You need to eat properly to support your training in the gym.
Muscle As We Age
As we age muscle loss affects balance and independence. We lose about 30% muscle over the course of a lifetime and about 5% per year after the age of 40. Having muscle just means that we are able to get up off the floor if we need to, even jumping up off the floor! It also means carrying in groceries without slipping and not experiencing joint pain. This is especially prevalent in the elbow joint. If you don’t have muscle surrounding the joint you might feel elbow pain. Not fun. No one wants to fall apart at 50. If you don’t train and focus on building muscle, you will. That’s a guarantee!
Capable Not Skinny
The new look isn’t about looking smaller and forever shrinking yourself. It’s about strength, confidence and energy. So yes muscle is the new skinny! Let’s embrace it!
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