I consider myself a moderately health-conscious individual. I go to the gym, try to avoid foods that I know are blatantly horrible to eat and make sure I get enough sleep at night. As I try to follow a path to superior health and fitness, something that bothers me is the stigma that surrounds "girls who lift." Not all of them are NPC Bikini Competitors or Bodybuilders, a lot are people like me, who lift weights as a hobby to feel better about themselves and improve their physical health and appearance.

Some girls think that as soon as they touch a weight they will get "bulky" or "manly," and that it's "disgusting," and that makes me mad. I am a girl, and yes, I do lift. Does that make me "disgusting" or "manly?" Not in the slightest. Those who say such things are not correctly informed, and those women who choose to "bulk" do so with supplements and specific work out plans to make them look that way. That does not happen unless that is your goal to make it happen. Be careful, don't look in the direction of the weight rack, you might end up like the Hulk! (Can you taste my sarcasm with that one?)

I am not a bodybuilder or powerlifter, but I believe the most effective way to look and feel your best is a balance of both cardio and weight training. Weight training helps to form your body in to its ideal shape. It helps you get stronger, and your clothes fit better, even if it means you have to buy a size up to fit your toned shoulders and biceps. Ever since I started consistently lifting weights, I have grown a lot more confident with myself and love seeing progress, even if it is small. Even on bad days, going to the gym helps me to break out of a funk, even if it's only for the duration of my workout.

I aspire to be even half as fit as some female weight lifters such as Mason Everett, who, along with her training, takes part in bikini comps also. She is the first fitness account I followed, and I always follow her posts and watch her videos in attempt to learn more. She is strong, and beautiful, and is someone I look to as motivation every time I need that extra boost to get up and go to the gym.

So, next time you go to the gym, use a machine. Grab some free weights. I promise, it'll change you for the better. Keep pushing, no matter what stage you are in of your fitness journey. Everyone starts somewhere, so why not start today?