Empowerment [ɪmˈpaʊəmənt]

1. The giving or delegation of power or authority; authorization
2. The giving of an ability; enablement or permission

I started thinking a lot about this last night as I was falling asleep….(Which unfortunately kept me from falling asleep and then made me start hearing creepy noises around the apartment, which I don’t usually hear since I’m passed out by like 8….)

Anyway, I started to think about how much more empowered I’ve felt since I started doing my heavy lifting/Crossfit style workouts a couple of years ago. Not only have I gotten physically stronger, but I also feel mentally stronger – more confident, more enabled, more capable.

I’m not intimidated by challenges or other people’s negativity. I actually believe that my workouts have helped me develop a stronger sense of self.

It’s kind of weird to think that something I’ve always done just for fun and to keep physically healthy, may have actually done even more for my mental health and strength.

Why has working out made me feel so empowered?

Because I’ve taken risks and experimented. Every single workout, I risk failure. I risk not lifting up more weight. I risk not being able to complete all of the challenges I’ve written out for myself that day.

Each and every workout though, I REFUSE to give up. I refuse to not push myself to my limits.

And guess what? I never fail even when I fail.

Sometimes, I can’t lift up as much weight as I want. Sometimes, I can’t run that last sprint as fast as I would have liked. But the thing is, I TRIED. I risked failing.

Just like I risked failing when I entered that powerlifting meet.

And guess, what? The risk paid off because now I’m more confident and stronger. AND I even found something I enjoy!

I dared to try something new. And each and every time I experiment with my workouts, I push myself to overcome new challenges and risks. I’m not afraid to face failure because I know it will only make me stronger.

Daring to try something new. LEARNING and EXPERIMENTING. Risking and ACCEPTING failure…No wonder I not only got physically stronger, but also mentally tougher….

And the thing is, I think my new dieting endeavors and experiments are having the same payoff.

There are risks every time I adjust my diet. I always worry the new adjustment won’t get results or will even cause me to backslide. Each and every time I change something, I make myself face new challenges. Sometimes I even push myself to the limit of my self-control.

But each time, I learn something new about myself. Whether or not I succeed or fail, I learn something new.

And the thing is, I never give up.

And never giving up, gives me confidence not only in the realm of diet and fitness, but in everyday life. My experimentation and risk-taking with diet and fitness have empowered me.

Now, what makes you feel empowered?