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Last weekend I had a booth at the Vancouver Wellness Show….and I got in trouble (again….)!

It’s always fun to see who shows up for a health show…every booth had its own focus – from books to oils to clothing to music and of course, food and supplements…heck, there was even a healthy razor booth (I forgot to check that one out!). 

Then I came across a company who sold protein powder – powder for vegans, to be exact. Now I’ve used their products before and I love them….clean, lots of great stuff…and I let the gal know this. I explained that I had a lot of female clients, some who were vegetarians (who often struggle with getting their protein needs met), and I said I often suggested adding some whey isolate to their vegan powder.

She looked at me like I had just slapped her face! There was an awkward silence….then I tried to explain that as a physique athlete and in my world we feel we need a certain amount of protein to hit each day for our goals which could be met by mixing whey into the blend…..

Mixing?” she said wide-eyed! “Oh go away, I don’t even want to hear it!” (Yes, she actually said that).

Really, I thought? And you’re representing a supplement company at one of Canada’s biggest trade shows?

Oh well,” she said. “You’re all about bulking up… we’re about endurance, not muscle.”

Obviously, I thought to myself. 🙂

OK. Now it was my turn. “I’m only 118 pounds, do I look bulky to you?” I asked? A man in the background shook his head. “She looks fine to me,” he said in my defense. (Thanks whomever you were!).

The point is this –  if we’re in the public eye and we’re promoting health and wellness, we must be reminded that our way is only one way. It’s not necessarily the way. Our clients deserve for us to be open-minded and inclusive, and to work in co-operation with their needs and goals

Somehow I hit a raw nerve with her (pardon the pun)  and she felt challenged. I’m not sure why, but I find the more inflexible the diet, the more inflexible the person…I’m just sayin’! (I love you all – carnivores, breatharians, raw foodists and vegans, so no nasty emails, ok?)

So when we’re traveling the path to health and wholeness, we need to remember to keep an open mind and practice being non-judgemental. We all have enough work just trying to keep ourselves healthy, yes? Besides, I find non-judgemental people so much more interesting and fun to be around. Don’t you? 

As I went to leave, I just couldn’t help myself. I stopped, and turned to look at her.

“Oh by the way, I’m a carnivore. And I love raw meat!”

I think she’s still squirming in her boots! Gosh, I hope her boots weren’t made with any animal products!

Karen

PS Sign up for my 10 and 12 week Best Shape Challenges has already began for the spring intake! Grab your spot before it’s gone! Starts April 9th!

Yep, we all get ’em…those out-of-control chocolate cravings. And this Valentine’s, I had my share of tempting chocolate treats! 

This is how I work through such oh-so-heard times like Valentine’s. I enjoy my treats, but in my own way….
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Seems I caused quite a stir by putting these photos up on Facebook….we had a ton of comments! Some of them great, others, well…

“I’d never want a bubble butt like the one on the right,” said one. “Cosmetic surgery,” said another, and one got upset that I was comparing caucasion to a Brazilian butt. Still another woman said the butt on the right was photogenically enhanced…

What’s the deal? I’m all for opinions, but I sensed a growing tension and competitiveness amongst my fellow sisters…

First of all, it’s not my photo, so please don’t shoot the messenger. Second of all, I was trying to (again) dispell the myth that squats create a wide, ugly butt. I see my role as one of education, given my experience, is all.

Does the lady on the right actually squat? I have no idea, to be honest, but from where I’m standing, it certainly looks like it. I’ve been to enough competitions to know what a squatting butt looks like – high, firm and with less fat on it. But I know for sure the lady on the left does not squat (or not properly, anyway). 

How can I say that? Because I used to have that butt – it was big and fat for years, then when I lost the weight, it was simply flat. It was only after learning to squat (at the tender age of 48) that it started to get rounded, higher and smaller.

Don’t believe me? Ask my hubby! 🙂 I don’t have a butt like miss right, but it’s kinda in between miss left and miss right…it’s certainly a helluva lot better than it was! And if I can do it at my age, you can make improvements too!

Several commentors said they had been squatting for years, but their butt never looked like that. Genetics do play a role, sure, but could it be that you just aren’t squatting well enough, or consistent enough, or heavy enough? It might not really be your thing, and that’s ok too! It took me 6 months to perfect a simple bar squat, but I was committed to learn, really learn, this movement that had evaded me for over 20 years. For me, the only real change came when I started doing 8-10 sets of heavy squats (this is relative for every woman) every 6 days or so, coupled with another 12-20 sets of straight glute exercises.

My posts are meant to educate, challenge, and shift how we view things, but let’s not lose sight of the sisterhood! The way I see it, that’s one of the biggest issue facing women today, the falling away of support by other females, especially in the area of health, bodies, and….here it comes….butts! I’ve seen it for years…the healthier (and dare I say sexier) women may become, the more they offend / challenge other women. I’ve even seen it in families, with co-workers…in the closest of relationships.

Ladies, support your fellow women, be they squatters or non-squatters. We’re all in this together, young or old, runners or weight lifters, rounded-butts or flat-butts! We can choose to differ, for sure, but we need to keep the sisterhood intact. As Don Miguel Ruez says in The 4 Agreements be impeccable with your words. We are, after all, cultivating a new generation of women whom we hope will support each other in their fitness and beauty goals, and in knowing they deserve to feel (and look) their best!

From your sister,
karen
🙂