This one’s for the ladies.
Wednesday, March 8 marks International Women’s Day 2017. According to the official webpage:
“International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.”
And on this day, I feel it’s only best to recognize a handful of ladies in the fitness world that perfectly represent the values of IWD. These ladies are doing things like running their own businesses and speaking out against taboo topics, and as a result, are encouraging other women to do the same.
I also happen to be friends with a lot of people on this list. Call it nepotism, or call it me being really fucking lucky to have some amazing friends in my life. Either way, check out the 8 ladies below and give them a follow for some serious inspiration in all walks of life.
1. Ana Alarcon
Vegan foodie and fitness instructor aside, Ana challenges women to bring out their inner badass. Not to mention, Ana has been incredibly open about some very personal things that have gone on in her life recently. Check her out if you want the raw, real deal.
2. Angela Gentile
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Angela left her full time job as a teacher to teach fitness to teachers instead (that was meant to be a tongue twister). She’s the founder of T.E.A.C.H. Fitness, which “combines teaching, educating, aligning curriculum, and consulting to improve the overall health of our schools, teachers, students AND communities.” Hey Angela, think we can work out a Fit University, T.E.A.C.H. Fitness partnership??
3. Cara Scinto
Cara, AKA The Balanced Bod, has built up her client-base from nothing with the main mission to help people lived a balanced lifestyle. In addition to her online clients, she hosts a handful of Balanced Bod events, each geared towards the three tenants of The Balanced Bod: fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness.
4. Eliza Shirazi
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Eliza is the woman behind Kick It By Eliza, a 13-round fitness method that promotes community and female empowerment (that I also happen to be an instructor of 😉 ). Not to mention, she’s coined (and trademarked) the term, Fempire™. Based off her site, “The FEMPIRE™ is the female inspired empire that has organically grown through this class and brand. We encourage women to feel empowered side by side, round by round, minute by minute.”
5. Erin Bailey
Did you see that article about street harassment making its rounds through the internet a few months back? You probably did, considering that Time, Runner’s World, SELF, and POPSUGAR picked it up. When she’s not writing articles that are going viral, you can catch her training for the Boston Marathon, or teaching class around Boston (and smiling the whole damn time!).
6. Holly Van Hare
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Perhaps you follow Holly for her bountiful bowls on Instagram (she is the infamous hand of ). Perhaps you’ve read one of her conversation-starting articles like this one, or this one, right here on fituniversity.co.
Fun fact: I had Holly edit this article before adding her to this list – shh!
She is Fit University’s Editor-in-Chief and she’s committed to working with our amazing editorial ambassadors to produce content that is meaningful, scientifically-backed, and entertaining all at the same time. Not to mention, she’s a fitness instructor, a double major in math AND english, and she started a program at Northeastern that will soon be turned into a published study to answer the question, if college students are educated about health and wellness, does their body image and overall impression of health improve?
I am beyond lucky to have this lady by my side. Holly, please don’t ever leave me.
7. Jennifer Hanway
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I first met Jenny when she spoke at our first annual Fit University Symposium. Besides the fact that she’s the former trainer of the Royal family and that she once taught Zac Efron to do the fox trot, Jenny is a Holistic Nutritionist and Level 2 Bio Signature Modulation Practitioner. She is an advocate for holistic wellbeing as a speaker, writer and owner of an online business. If there’s a wellness event in Boston, you can probably find Jenny there. I want to be like Jenny when I grow up!
8. Kelly Uchima
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You may know her on Instagram as kellyufit, the ED warrior. Why do I love Kelly so much? Because she’s getting people to talk about eating disorders, body love, and mental health issues. She’s helping to remove the shame and the stigma, which is one of Fit University’s main missions. Ashton Kutcher even shared a story about her, so you know she’s doing big things.
Happy International Women’s Day from Fit University! Share this with the strong, badass lady in your life and let her know why you love her. More info on International Women’s Day here.
Check out these articles too:
Lift Like a Girl: The Benefits of Strength Training for Women
Which Instagram to Follow Based on Your Healthy Resolution
I Stopped Forcing Fitness and Found My Happy Place
Why It’s Worth the Effort to be Strong