Close your eyes and picture this: You’re breathing heavy. You lunge to the left then lunge to the right. You then attempt a series of jumps and hops. It is obvious your heart rate is rising and the sweat is starting to pour. You look at the clock and wonder, “How has it only been two minutes?!” You decide to go through the series of movements one more time then finally…
Boom! Your jeans are on and buttoned… just barely.
Ladies, I think that we can all agree that at some point in our lives we have all had that “Oh Sh*t” moment when we realize our favorite pair of jeans no longer fits. For some of us, this is an exciting thing, but for most of us we wonder “How the hell did that happen?” You begin to think back to the last few weeks and wonder if you had one too many peanut butter cups or maybe you question whether that second and third beer at Ladies’ Night was really necessary. Truth is, you didn’t eat any peanut butter cups, nor have you had anything to drink recently. As a matter of fact, you’ve been eating perfectly and have been making it to the gym four to five days a week! This epiphany brings you back to your jeans and the million dollar question: What happened to my jeans?!
The answer is simple… GAINZ!
Where your legs used to be a little flabby, there is now muscle, which I might add, is a LOT harder to squeeze into jeans than a couple extra pieces of cake. Muscles are hard and they are strong and they are one of the best indicators that your hard work is paying off.
Society has a bothersome tendency to tell us what we should eat, what we should wear, and most obnoxiously… what we should look like. Being shaped like a prepubescent, middle school Victoria’s Secret model won’t get you that back squat PR you’ve been chasing for months. I am here to argue society’s points. Your legs don’t fit into your jeans anymore? GOOD! You have two options. You can either A) cut back on going to the gym a little bit because your newly discovered “thunder thighs” are just too much for you (and your jeans) to handle, or B) go out and buy yourself some new jeans to comfortably hug your newest gainz display. Since option A is ridiculous, choose B and delight in an excuse to go shopping!
Embrace the change your body has made and realize that your jeans size does not define who you are or even how good you look in said jeans. Being strong is beautiful and so are the physiological and psychological changes that come along with evolving as an athlete. So don’t be afraid to rock that new racer back that shows off your traps, that crop top you’ve had in your closet since college, and most importantly celebrate bumping up a jean size!