Heels and Cleans

As an example of awful training, the trainer at our gym shared this link to Shape magazine which touted the ability to spot slim and tone your legs. The page featured a brief explanation of short burst training, a weird video of an insufferable Tony-Little-wannabee trainer, and a picture of two skinny legs rockin’ a pair of fabulous Christian Louboutin black patent leather platform pumps. 

My only comment on the link was that I loved the shoes.

It wasn’t that I didn't appreciate my trainer’s disdain for the video dude’s condescending approach to his assistant, over-hyped love of Barbie leg sculpting, or serious penchant for the word "tushie," it's just that I think that if this guy's approach moves someone else to move – I'm all for it.

But then I got to thinking about how much I love CrossFit and those Louboutins! In a world of five-fingered rubber shoes where form is king and fat is phat, there is an inherent disincentive in dressing your dogs for potential gam-damage. My question to myself became, is there room within the same body to love lifting weights and rockin’ those heels?

Hell, yes.

In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that loving both of these seemingly disparate elements came from the same place. The ability to strut in those stiletto bad boys and the ability to walk up to the 95 lb. barbell and throw it up to your shoulders then overhead are borne of the same trait: confidence.

Knowing you can walk the walk—in the shoes, or at the gym—is very empowering.