Why every good woman needs a little muscle

Call me bias, call me what you wish, but I stand by my word when I say this - the female physique is much more attractive than any males will ever be. A woman's curves - those hips and a tiny waist just does it for me. No I am not a lesbian, but I appreciate a good body when I see one, which gets me on to today's post - 'Why every good woman needs a little muscle'. 

I have always been concious of my body from a young age, ever since I starting developing curves of my own in fact. I was afraid, like many young girls of the extra bit of meat forming around the lower half of my body. But why? Was it because of the fact that I was turning into a woman finally, or was it because I began to compare myself to every other woman on this planet. Unfortunately it was the latter. I began to reject what was in front of me. It's only recently that I have started to view myself differently and it's all thanks to the gym, and the new ideal woman that has emerged in the media - the muscular but undeniably healthier female form.

I write a lot about women and health, as you may have noticed by now. It's something I feel both passionate about, and most importantly, enjoy writing about. The problem is, I see tonnes of women about these days who clearly have no idea about nutrition or what it means to lead a healthy lifestyle. Now I am not just talking about those overweight ones, but also they malnourished ones. By no means am I saying I am an expert, but what I do know is that it feels fantastic to be in control of what I eat and actually enjoy working out. An avid gym goer for many years, it's only recently that I decided to alter my routine slightly. Instead of using the standard machines that many women flock to in the gym (the treadmill, cross trainer etc.) alongside some light weights, I now work on building muscle primarily by participating in a variety of weight classes including the classic circuit and legs, bums and tums (LBT) classes. I tend to do these classes up to four times a week and have noticed a significant difference over the last few months. Not only do I look more toned, I am stronger too, something I could only once dream of! 

Women with muscle was once considered taboo so to speak. It's only recently that women are starting to 'jump on the bandwagon', and that's all down to its popularity in the media.  Clearly there are some women who overdo it (think Jodie Marsh), but there are a whole lot of women who do it well. Some of my favourites can be found on Instagram. I don't believe in aspiring to be like celebrities as they often have unachievable and unrealistic lifestyles, so to give you an idea of my #fitinspo I have listed five of my favourite people to follow on Instagram right now:

@cleaneats_kenzie
@michelle_lewin_
@lydiaemillen
@femalemotivation
@amandafinniee

These women sure know what they are doing in the gym and treat their bodies with respect, something all women should aspire to do. Remember when building muscle, it's still important to find that balance between eating right and working out. Don't get me wrong - it is not easy. It requires a lot of persistence but once you start to see the results, you will start to wonder what on earth you were doing before you discovered lifting! A word of advice - don't be afraid. Muscle isn't something that forms overnight and you aren't going to end up looking like popeye (yes I was worried about this too at first). Up your protein, cut down on the carbs and work that ass off - you won't regret it.

Do you use weights at the gym? What do you think of women with muscle?

Facebook - Twitter - Instagram - Bloglovin