MAGAZINE FOR STRONG WOMEN
The
issue
MAY 2016
ISSUE 1 Content: ~ 3 Strong is all she knows 9 Runnin’ for 221 kilometres 14 Women at war: me against my body part 1 19 Team Powerful
Sometimes life is about risking everything for a dream no one can see but you.
Polona, 29 yrs, Slovenia Written, edited & designed by
Polona Fonda www.fondastrong.com polona@fondastrong.com
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is all she knows
“I don’t think we have ever discussed skinny with Ella but she knows about being strong. I think because she is so young, strong is all she knows and I hope it continues like that.” ~ Rosemary, 43 yrs, Ireland
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“It’s so important for moms to look after themselves,”
starts Rosemary.
Rosemary is 43, married to Brian and runs a busy household with three school-going kids David, Michael and the youngest, Ella. “I committed to myself that I would devote at least two hours per day to myself, just
to break the monotony of daily household chores.” Cleaning, cooking, laundry, shopping, taxiing, kids and two hours of Rosemary-time which she usually spends at CrossFit Tipperary. Ella is eight years old and first got into CrossFit after trying out the kids class with her old-
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er brother Michael. Although she wants to be a vet when she grows up, Ella also aims to represent Ireland in Olympicweightlifting and captain Waterford’s ladies gaelic footballteam to an all-Ireland final and win. “I don’t think we have ever discussed skinny with Ella but she
knows about being strong. I think because she is so young, strong is all she knows and I hope it continues like that.” Ella loves doing snatches and box jumps, but doesn’t really like burpees. Ella’s favourite athlete is Emma McQuaid who she met at last year’s Irish Throwdown. “CrossFit teaches kids at a very young age to be nonjudgemental and supportive of others.”
“The first thing that struck me were the camaraderie and encouragement from other members and coaches: ‘don’t worry, I was like that when I started, it gets easier’.” Some people compare CrossFit to an addiction. “I will admit it’s not far from the truth.”
Rosemary was introduced to CrossFit Tipperary through a friend who invited her to come along and join a class.
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Ella always wins: “She always beats me.”
She loves snatches and box jumps, but doesn’t really like burpees. ~
Ella, 8 yrs, Ireland
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“Just being in a workout gear and heading out with a sport bag in hand is a great example for my children.” “For me CrossFit is not just about physical fitness but also an opportunity to socialise with likewise individuals.” It’s that time of the day when her mind is free of anything, focused on getting through the workout. Except if Ella is watching, then she tries a little bit harder. Both of them have already competed in weightlifting and Ella has been the youngest girl ever to participate at an Irish Olympic weightlifting competition. “Many people think weightlifting is not suitable for kids but our children are lifting their own weight on a daily basis. Once you have a knowledgeable coach, it is not an issue. We are lucky to have one of the best coaches in the business, Colin Roles.” Not many eight year-olds have an opportunity to meet a World Champion and Olympic medallist in Olympic Weightlifting. Ella had and even did a quick training with Apti Aukhadov.
“It’s great to be able to work out and spend time with Ella. Sometimes we do a WOD together after class, it’s our quality time.”
The helpless female card was thrown away.
Rosemary’s happiest memory is mastering toes to bars after nine months of practice.
“CrossFit is such a stress reliever, it’s my therapy! And if you can’t look after yourself, how can you look after others?” Rosemary’s goal is simple: to keep crossfitting.
“Also something that stands out is one of the younger girls, aged 22, saying ‘I hope I’m like you when I’m a mom, still crossfitting’. That was amazing to hear.”
As for Ella, one message she wants to pass on to her daughter is: “Anything is possible in life. It may take hard work but anything is possible. And enjoy the journey.”
“I’m very conscious that she’s there.”
Filmed at CrossFit Tipperary, Ireland. Photos by Polona Fonda. 7
Trust us, you’ll look put together even if you’re not.
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Girls That Lift (Oly lift, CrossFit, Powerlift & co) We’re all about things that actually matter (and not how they look like). The group is private and closed for a reason: to nurture a nice little community of women, of all ages!, who love sports like CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, Strongman, street workout, strength and conditioning training in general and other. No spam, no 500-calories weight loss plans, just daily talk about Open workouts, exercises and health, funny problems and competitions worth attending. Feel free to share your journey, challenges or new little victories. Search for:
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“This could take female ultrarunning to a whole new level.� ~ Ula Kupec, 21 yrs, Slovenia
GOAL: Ultrabalaton 2016
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Runnin’ for
221kilometers “I love running… Because to me running is freedom.”
Ula has 32 hours to complete a 221-k distance. And when she does, she’ll go up a level and aim for 248 km. First one on the list is Ultrabalaton, a 221 km race around the Lake Balaton, Hungary. Second one is the holy grail of ultraraces – a 248 km Sparathlon (hints: Battle of Marathon, Pheidippides and 490 BC).
“Feeling the burn in the lungs and muscles; it makes me feel alive.”
Photo: Kljuca
Finishing those two races would make her the youngest female ever to run, and complete, a 221 and 248 km distance. She is a student at Faculty for Sports who’s literally in love with ultrarunning (and a runner as well). “Mentally, this kind of a distance is a struggle. I know I will have to face the pain and exhaustion but I can take them very well… Knowing this, I am at peace.” “I want to finish those two races to kind of ‘find out what I’m made of’. To test my body and mind.” Right now she is working on every detail of the race with a goal of having a plan for whatever could go wrong. That means plan A, B, C, D… Because those runs get tough. Actually they get tough pretty often and having a coping strategy to face the pain and run alongside it is necessary.
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Training for 221 km demands a huge weekly mileage and whole lot of time.
“When it knocks me down I try to take it as it is. Similar to life, you have good days, you have bad days and nothing is wrong with that.”
“I do more than 100 km every week.”
She finished her first 10k at age of 14. The year after? 21k. Two years after she completed her first marathon. Aged 18, she raised the bar to 73-km trail between Celje and Logarska dolina, Slovenia. The longest race she has run so far is a 110 km race in Istria with an elevation of 4700m+/4700m-. “I finished this race when I was just 19. It was a breakthrough for me because I ended up on 9th place among women.”
Once a week shea also does speed training, a trail run with elevation, some strength training and a night run: “You have to watch every step of the way and be careful. And this burns a lot of energy. You also get sleepy, because you are not used to that kind of a rhythm.” If I stopped running I would just exist. But sports, and love, make me really live. I think everybody 11
The average speed Ula plans to keep for Ulatrabalaton will be 9-10 km/h.
needs something to make them feel more alive. Ula is running Ulatrabalaton on May 28. She’ll be escorted by her boyfriend and the parents – the reason for falling in love with (ultra)running in the first place: “When I was a child we were hiking and skiing and I was training athletics – the sprint.” Later, her father became her mirror: “I’m so grateful he introduced me to ultrarunning.” Ula is also vegan. But that’s the topic for part 2. Photos: personal archive Date: 27-29 May 2016 Distance: One lap around Lake Balaton Category: Individual Woman Follow on: @ulchekk (Instagram) Contact Ula: ula.kupec@gmail.com
What do you think about when you have 32 hours to run? “Actually my best runs are the ones when I don’t think much.“
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WOMEN AT WAR: Me against my body part 1
A conversation with Jessica Johns-Green,
a counselling psychologist with specialism in performance and an accredited cognitive behavioural therapist
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I feel like I’ve been at war – with my body, and my eating habits. That said, I am also a perfectionist, never satisfied with how I perform at something. Anxiety and shame are just two of a broad range of feelings I experience every day. But that’s a pretty ordinary life (for me).
What drives me, and millions of other women, to think this way? I talked to Jessica Johns-Green, a counselling psychologist with specialism in performance and an accredited cognitive behavioural therapist, to dig deeper into the issues of body hate and disordered eating.
Jessica, 39 yrs, England
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1. Why so many of us struggle with body image and eating behaviours? Jessica: Assumptions about what women’s roles should be and assumptions about how women’s bodies should look are intertwined. So much so that these assumptions can be seen as biological fact rather than socially constructed perceptions that explain gender differences as well as reinforce and perpetuate culturally acceptable gender roles. All that means that the expectations that women should be gentle, delicate and slender become the primary ways women are judged as normal, or not – judged as valuable, or not. Women that fall outside of these standards are often stigmatised in some way, and this can provide an enormous motivating factor for women to
see their bodies as a project – something to be perfected. However, I would add that these gender specific expectations also have an impact on men who might be expected to be big, powerful and muscular. Naturally, the media has a role to play, but it’s also important to recognise that while people can be highly influenced by media, we are not always passive receptacles for media messages. And, that the media is only a form of communication about the body ideal that already exist in society. The question is not whether the media depicts unrealistic images, but what would make these images feel so valuable that women (and men) might decide to sacrifice health, re-
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lationships and mental wellbeing to attain these standards. I find in practice with clients who suffer with disordered eating (overly restrictive, over eating or a combination of both), that somewhere along the line, it has started to feel that perfecting the body means perfecting something else in life. It might create a sense of control, predictability or security when life feels out of control or frightening. It might be a way of calming emotions, like fears of rejection or failure. It might provide a rush, through exercising discipline or being overly indulgent, and a distraction from the less comfortable aspects of life. Whatever is being satisfied by the body focus, disordered eating only makes the underlying problem worse. Unfortunately, much in society and life reinforces the idea that perfecting the body makes life more perfect, and these deeply held, culturally pervasive beliefs don’t shift easily. They can be so central to our sense of self and relationships, that it seems like the natural order of life that leaner women are more successful women. Breaking free, and gaining a healthier body image, is about drawing these underlying beliefs out and questioning them for what they are – just one way to see things.
Jessica: Women’s bodies have always been objects to perfect, scrutinize and judge, but it really took on a different form with the rise of media in the 20th century and increased availability of images. People started being exposed to ‘ideal’ bodies and the mass produced message that being perfect in body will equate to happiness in other areas of life – love, success and happiness all being tied up in body shape. Body shape becomes intertwined with ideas about self control, self worth and righteous living which carry a source of culturally defined power. In short, being a good person is often confused with looking a certain way, and this is reinforced by society. People might be more stressed and less happy compared to 100 years ago in part because these body standards are so powerful and pervasive. You are totally right that food, especially food that provides a quick, predictable and pleasurable sensations is widely available, more than it ever was in previous generations. But I would add that in this age of social media, our lives are lived with increasingly wider awareness of how other people look and how they live. This might have the illusion of connectedness and being part of something, but is more likely to fuel feeling isolated, worthless and helpless.
2. Disordered eating and obsessive weight loss seem a bigger problem today than a century ago? These are stresses that might seem small compared things that people dealt with 100 years ago, like wars, poor health and poverty. In those kinds of stresses, people just want to feel safe, have food and shelter – have basic needs met. While stressors today are different, our bodies are built in the same way they always have been, and we will feel driven to satisfy uneasiness, stress and fear by finding ways to feel safe and happy.
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Unfortunately, this means that stresses that have no simple or easy solution – like feeling unworthy compared to others on social media or being sad about a terrorist attack – are often coped with using food. Our bodies and brains are built to seek out the nice feelings food can give when we feel bad. It’s just that in our society, this quick fix, feel good foods are far easier to get than they ever have been.
3. I feel like being a woman, my job is to self-criticize myself, to bring myself down… to never be satisfied with myself. I can see a lot of women feel that way? Jessica: I know many women feel this way, too. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be a life sentence. Historically, women have been expected to be nice, kind and overly concerned with the needs of others, and there are still people out there who share this more ‘traditional’ view of women. While this is a struggle, no one ever benefits from maintaining their role as a victim. That means taking responsibility for ourselves by being true to our
feelings – saying ‘no’ and ‘yes’ when we want to, rather than when we believe we should. These rules apply regardless of gender, and although people can feel trapped in traditional sex roles, I have also seen individuals make brave choices to be more real with themselves and those around them. I wouldn’t really focus on men suppressing women, although that can happen. It’s just not normally useful to blame. Instead, I would ask women in this position to think about
Part 2 and 3 are published online: www.fondastrong.com Contact Jessica: jessicajohns-green@hotmail.co.uk Or through the website: jessjohnsgreen.com
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what consequences they fear if they start to assert themselves. Often we are afraid of rejection, abandonment, judgement and criticism. These are all tough, but are not insurmountable barriers to a more fulfilling, happier life.
TEAM POWERFUL
Team Powerful is a regular feature that celebrates women who have decided to make themselves powerful. Suggestions to: polona@fondastrong.com. No limits, all kind of sports.
Isabel
24 yrs, Spain The Fairy represents power and beauty – strength through femininity. It was created exclusively for this magazine and it stands for Team Powerful. One magic creature that represents strong girls, worldwide, and all women that don`t settle for less than they deserve. Illustrated and designed by my talented friend Isabel Castillo López on a rainy Sunday afternoon in Wedding. I was about to finish my Berlin adventure and was looking for a new beginnings, Isabel was fighting her own battles, and the vision behind this fairy brought us together, connected us for a moment and the outcome… The fairy, official logo for FONDA magazine. Contact: ioricl@hotmail.es Isabel`s portfolio: www.ioridesigner.com Facebook: Isabel Castillo López 19
Isil,Ipek,S imten,S ibel,Ceren...
Spreading the power of CrossFit in Turkey Politics aside, there are stories far more inspiring and worth sharing – and maybe even joining if you are a girl living in Turkey. “Turkey overall thinks that girls with muscles are not feminine at all. The majority of the people are barely aware of CrossFit here and the only recognition goes to the male Crossfitters. We, as CFChallenge girls, aim to change this and want to let people know CrossFit is not about growing muscles only but changing the way you live, eat and behave.” Thanks to my friend Ercan, I came across Isil, quoting before, and Ipek. Together they run CF Challenge Girls, events happening across the country. “I used to go to the same box as Isil and the other four friends of mine. There were not many female Crossfitters at the time so it was fun doing the workouts together and challenging one another. That’s how we actually met, the 6 of us: Sibel, Neyran, Dilay, Isil, Ceren and myself (Ipek).” From box workouts to smaller events across Istanbul, the group resized to 18 girls. “We realized that we do not aim to beat one another but improve ourselves instead, because this enabled our skills to grow and our weights to increase, and also, we became really good friends.” The main purpose of the group is to motivate other girls: “The biggest obstacle is that in Turkey we do not have many girls who do CrossFit because it’s still seen as a very man oriented sport. Resources are limited in regards of technical teaching in weightlifting and especially gymnastics,” says Sibel. The ones who are actively seeking fitter and stronger lives are also Simten and Ceren: “I honestly believe that CrossFit is the best thing a woman can do.” The girls are now travelling the country, organizing events in boxes outside Istanbul as well. “Not only did we become known nation-wide, but we are now also able to get prizes, with a help of our sponsors, for the first three girls. This made me feel really proud of myself,” says Ipek. So you live in Turkey and want to join? “Our doors are open to all the girls who like doing CrossFit. We had a beginner girl who wanted to challenge herself and attended the very last event so we scaled the workout just for her. The more beginners we have, the more scaled the competition will also get.” www.cfchallengegirls.com / Facebook: CFchallengegirls / Instagram: @CFchallengegirls
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For more stories, visit:
www.fondastrong.com ~ TALKING NUTRITION WITH PATRYCJA Patrycja is a food coach, an author and founder of Fitnessand-Food.de and a CrossFit athlete. She’s also a mastermind behind the hyper-palatable recipes which usually end up as her daily foods to fuel up her active and busy lifestyle. You can contact her via info@fitness-and-food.de.
HANDSTANDS IN KUWAIT “It looks really cool right?” Nina believes handstands can improve the quality of your life. Well, if only women would not have this illogical idea of upper body exercises making them look bulky.
MARY GOREY, A RUGBY PLAYER AND A SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHER Off the field she is a secondary school physics and chemistry teacher. And of course, she’s also a coach. “At school, I coach the boys’ underage teams, and I have also formed the girls’ team this year.”
LIFE OF A GIRL THAT LIVES IN A VAN, SKATEBOARDS AND CROSSFITS Some girls take risks and follow their wild hearts. Like Fee, she bought a van to live in and to travel places across Europe. For the next two and a half years the red-coloured van, Falka – the dog and the longboard were her life.
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