Maybe It’s Not Your Jeans; It’s Your Perspective by Dani DufreneA couple months ago I set out to accomplish a goal. I wanted to go from #109 to #120. I believed that with a little extra mass I would be able to lift heavier weights and recover better from my work outs. Although I have not yet hit #120, I did reach #116 and have felt a re markable difference. That is not the point of this post, but important to note for the story to come. So that is 7lbs in approximately 8 weeks. Seven pounds may not seem like much for some, but my frame is rather small and all 7 of those pounds are very noticeable to me. They seem to have found a home in my quads, glutes and hamstrings. Not surprising given the CrossFit regimen. Now to my story…A few weeks ago I went shopping with a girlfriend. The primary goal was to find some jeans because I only had one pair of pants that fit me. What I came to discover on that shopping adventure is that my body has changed drastically. The cap sleeved, frilly shirts that once looked so cute now looked ridiculous. And locating a pair of jeans that fit both in my thighs and my waist was not possible. I was very grateful on that day for my amazing girlfriend who has a healthy perspective on her own body image and had been down this road before. After several failed attempts at finding a pair of jeans, she simply suggested that I find a pair that fit my thighs and have them altered to fit in the waist. As for the cap sleeved frilly shirt, well she said say goodbye and find a new style. Her point was simple, it wasn’t the jeans; it was my perspective. My body had changed and rather than fight it I needed to embrace it and adapt. So I did. I located shirts that didn’t make me feel like the Hulk or Linda Hamilton and I purged my closet of anything that no longer flattered my body in its current state.If I had gained 7lbs because I sat on the couch gorging myself, that would be a completely different story. Not the case. The jeans didn’t fit me because I had gained muscle mass in my legs and my booty. At that moment I had to make a decision, I could accept the fact that my body had changed and alter my attire or sacrifice my strength and muscle so I could fit into a certain pair of jeans or rock a frilly shirt. To me the choice is a no brainer. I understand that isn’t the case for many women, but I challenge you to challenge your perspective.I write this post because I know that women torture themselves on a daily basis about their bodies. If you are eating well, CrossFitting regularly and being active and your quads happen to get bigger or your booty grows, I challenge you to embrace it. Adapt your clothing, not your lifestyle. Don’t sacrifice your health and strength for vanity. You can have both. You can be strong and beautiful. You just have to change your perspective. Beautiful might look a little different than it once did before.Individual Warm-up: 10 muscle-upsStrength: Shoulder Press, 1) 5 x 65%, 2) 5 x 75%, 3) 5+ x 85%.WOD: 12-9-6 Muscle Ups and Thrusters.RX: 135 / 95L-2: Muscle up progressions 105/85. Use rings on pull-up bars.L-1: 24-18-12 or pull-ups / ring dips, 65/45.Recovery: 3:00 min relaxed deep squat hold.[fbphotos id=197694696969866]