Have you noticed more diet or weight loss talk on social media or even in your inbox since the start of the new year? It seems that in January and right before the summer time, this information and chatter is prevalent, almost everywhere around us, and it might be adding to certain feelings and emotions we have about our bodies leaving us wondering if we DO need a new program or diet.

As I sit here on a Sunday morning, enjoying my coffee and thinking about the week ahead, one thing that is not on my to do list is starting or restarting another diet.

​For some context, a typical Sunday for me used to be spent:

Shaming myself for having no will power and falling off track with my diet.

Obsessively meal planning following an uber strict (and often complicated) meal plan from the interwebs or from an unqualified Multi Level Marketing “coach” to correct the "damage" I had done that weekend.

Methodically plotting and planning my upcoming week, scheduling in all of the workouts that I thought would burn the most calories, but that I didn’t really enjoy or would have the energy for due to my long work schedule and lack of energy intake due to the above restrictive diet.

Why are so many women actually afraid to build muscle? 

We’re taught to not want to look “bulky.” The same way we’re taught to not want to “look chubby.”

We’re taught to fear having a muscular body type by diet companies pedaling the “ideal” body type that is rooted in diet culture, the patriarchy, and yes, racism.