https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/

Name: Jen Sinkler
Age: 38 (or I will be on August 10, anyway!)
Location: Philadelphia, PA
All photos: Jalbus Photo

What do you do?
I’m a fitness writer and personal trainer.

What else do you do?
I’m pretty into hand-drumming, moon rituals of release and invitation, making and drinking fine espresso, and talking about menstrual periods on social media lately.

What does being a Girl Gone Strong mean to you?
It means I get to be part of a movement that helps to set the tone and shape the conversation about women and strength training.

It means being part of a supportive, passionate, forward-thinking community dedicated to empowering women to explore what they are physically capable of.

In your opinion, what makes the Girls Gone Strong movement unique?
It really has become the town hall on the topic of women’s strength. Many of its members have their own businesses promoting strength-training for women—myself included, in the form of what will soon be rebranded as Unapologetically Strong—but GGS is where we all gather to celebrate progress, report on current conditions, and make plans for our future together.

Because at its heart, that’s what GGS is about: inclusivity, positivity, and bringing new members into the fold through the power of strength training.

What excites you most about being a member of the Girls Gone Strong Advisory Board?
I’ve been a “BFF of GGS” for so long—since its inception in 2011—that many people either think I’m a founding member or member of the advisory board. This post will come as a real surprise to them.

I’m excited about coming on board in a more official capacity because we share the belief that together, we are stronger than we are individually. So, let’s wreck shop! (And by “wreck shop” I mean let’s continue to spread the good word about the emotionally and physically transformative benefits of strength training for women.)

What are your areas of expertise in health and fitness?
I’m a fitness eclectic—I like to do everything, and so I like to teach everything. To that end, I’m an RKC-2 and KBA kettlebell instructor, a certified USAPL powerlifting club coach, a PCC bodyweight-movements coach, an Onnit Academy foundations trainer, a Ground Force Methods coach, and…I’m sure I’m forgetting some. (I’m sorry! I’m typing out in the sun, and I’m trying to hurry so sweat sprinkles don’t ruin my keyboard!) I’ve also done a TACFIT certification, the CrossFit Level 1, DVRT (Ultimate Sandbags), and the USAW senior coaching cert (though it’s been a minute since I coached the Olympic lifts). Different people like to play with different toys, and I want to be able to teach mad skills in many domains.

What information are you most passionate about sharing with the Girls Gone Strong community?
I’m passionate about talking about strength as a feminist act, finding and fostering community, teaching specific strength skills, and releasing the idea that there is one way to approach fitness. You and I, we will probably do a lot of circuits and kettlebell work together.

What’s your athletic background?
I’m a former member of the U.S. women’s rugby team. Over the course of a decade, I played for the junior-national fifteens team and then the senior side for both the sevens and fifteens national teams. (Sevens is a version of the game that is played with seven members per team; fifteens is played with 15 per side. In a nutshell, sevens is sleeker, faster, and shorter. Fifteens is longer, heavier, and more smash-mouth.)

As a sport, rugby is my one great love, but I’ll do (and have done) just about anything, including softball, basketball, softball, and track.

I respect the transformative properties of sport, and I would like to see more women compete. In something. In anything.

Competition gets a bad rap, but it can be done in a way that greatly enriches your life and your path to personal development. Learning to compete well taps into a spirit of play that I suspect many of us haven’t explored thoroughly (yet).

What are you currently doing for your own training?
I’ve been crunched for time lately due to program launches, revamping my online business, and settling into my new home in Philadelphia (it’s my second time moving here, that’s how much I like the city) so I’ve switched gears from a more structured program to mostly circuit training for the time being.

The workouts are short, I’m able to maintain my strength to a satisfactory degree, and I like the sweat factor even more in the summer. It’s also serving as the perfect time to test drive circuits for Lift Weights Faster 3 (coming next spring). I did just start a supplemental pull-up program, though.

What does a sample workout look like for you?
Here’s one I did on the sidewalk out in front of my house the other day. It requires one kettlebell and about 20 minutes, give or take. Perform three rounds of the following:

12 one-armed bent-over row (each arm)
12 bodyweight skater squat (each leg)
12 hand-release pushups
12 one-arm stiff-legged deadlift (each arm)
12 goblet rotational lunge (each direction)

What’s your favorite exercise or movement?
I would never choose! Don’t play me like that, GGS. (A few faves: conventional deadlifts, kettlebell swings, SSB squats, kettlebell jerks, bent presses, and chin-ups.)

Do you prefer to train alone or with a training partner? Why?
I LOVE TRAINING WITH OTHER PEOPLE. I’d love to say it’s for upstanding reasons such as the increased sense of community and accountability, and other true stories—but the other truth is that I like other people to do hard things with me.

Best compliment you’ve received lately? Best compliment you’ve given lately?
Earlier today, a man I came face-to-face with on the street simply said, “Wow, you’re a superstar!” That was pretty delightful. People are so nice in Philadelphia (no sarcasm).

I try to give genuine compliments the moment they come to mind, so lemme think of one I gave today. Ah, OK: I told my friend Marshall Roy of RISE Gym that he is an incredible coach and trainer, and that I hope he starts traveling the world doing kettlebell and powerlifting workshops.

Favorite meal:
I do so hate when you make me choose. Let’s go with an old standby, ribeye steak and slightly crispy Brussels sprouts, maybe some cauliflower mash and a homemade fudgy brownie for dessert. Don’t put ice cream on my brownie.

Favorite quote:
Well, this is mortifying, because it’s long been a quote from Ayn Rand, a philosopher one really should outgrow by age 19 or so. In so many ways, her philosophy is selfish, impractical, and elitist, but I find this one quote comes in handy as a woman who owns her own business. As a woman who owns her own life, really:

“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”

It’s a good reminder that you don’t have to wait for permission.

Favorite book:
Dammit! Why must we play favorites?! The most influential book I’ve read in the past year or so is Men Explain Things to Me by author and activist Rebecca Solnit.

What are you most grateful for?
The constancy of change. Every time I get uncomfortable, I also get excited, because I’ve learned that means growth is on the way.

It took me a long time to embrace change, and I’m grateful for how much my life and my personality changed when I learned to embrace it.

What’s a risk you’ve taken lately and how did it turn out?
I convinced my husband, David Dellanave, and our two dogs, Zoey and Franklin (who needed less convincing than David did), to move away from our thriving gym in Minneapolis across the country to Philadelphia, simply because it feels so much like home to me here. As for how it turns out, I’m eager to find out!

What does a typical day look like for you?
Wake up sometime in the 7s with no alarm, make espresso, walk and feed the dogs, tell them that they are the best while they are doing tricks for treats, write, eat breakfast, pull my shopping cart to the Italian Market to get some sweet produce deals, write, train, write, write, eat, meet online with my team to manage the many projects we’ve got goin’ on, more eating and writing.

Oh, and right now my day also involves avoiding unpacking my house.

What’s the coolest “side effect” you’ve noticed from your training?
A deeper, more unshakable confidence.

When a woman decides to develop her physical strength, that’s her making a conscious decision to run counter to societal expectations about the way she “should” look and behave. The simple repetition of the conversation about why she is interested in pursuing such a thing tends to strengthen conviction as much as the act of lifting weights strengthens muscles. The result is that she becomes more comfortable making choices that can be viewed as different or unusual.

What’s your next training goal:
I wrote a speech called “Embrace Your Bigness” in 2015, and ever since, I’ve been drawn to exploring that idea more intentionally. So, I’m excited to announce I’ve got a project in the works with St. Louis­–based trainer Kourtney Thomas that focuses on hypertrophy (aka muscle growth). We’ve dubbed it the Bigness Project, and I anticipate it will turn even more societal expectations on their heads. Curls for the girls, know what I mean?

Personally, I haven’t done a lot of bodybuilding-style training before, and I’m eager to see how I like it. (We’re starting an early access group in mid-August, too, for those interested.)

What’s your biggest accomplishment in the fitness industry thus far?
It is every single individual who has ever said something to me along the lines of “You have changed my life.” I don’t take myself very seriously, but I do take that seriously.

What’s your biggest accomplishment outside the fitness industry thus far?
Hummmmmmm, lemme think. On paper, it’s probably my achievements through rugby, but honestly, I rank all of my long-term, thriving friendships higher. It feels like more of an accomplishment to get to have relationships with people I consider geniuses in various ways.

If you had to choose three words to describe yourself, what would they be?
Open. Curious. Weird.

How has training changed your life?
The list would be shorter if I told you the ways it hasn’t changed my life. I operate completely differently since I really starting owning that my health is my responsibility, and mine alone. I’m more disciplined. More joyful. More balanced. More embodied. More appreciative.

What do you want to say to other women who might be nervous to start working out?
You can take this process at your own pace.

What would you like to be remembered for in regards to your impact on the health and wellness industry?
Doing a really good job of bringing people together. A sense of community, both live and virtual, is what’s up.

Feeling inspired?

If you’re feeling inspired by the magnificent Jen Sinkler, read on to learn more about—and join!—our community of strong, supportive women…

The post Advisory Board Spotlight: Jen Sinkler appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/

Recently, the head coach of a women’s national team competing in this summer’s Olympics was quoted in a press release saying something along the lines of how proud and excited he was to embark on the adventure with “these girls.”

These professional athletes. These Olympians. These adult women.

Let me be clear: I’m not demonizing the coach. By all accounts, he’s excellent at his job and has healthy working relationships with his athletes. Moreover, I have it on good authority that when began the job, he’d asked the team how they’d like him to address them, and “girls” got the vote.   (Photo credit: Sabrina Asch)

Let me also be clear that I am aware the word “girl” is not a swear word, and that we could be called much worse. But…“could be worse” is not the measuring stick most of us are using anymore.

Language matters, and using the word “girls” can be tricky territory.

Language matters, and using the word “girls”—especially in public-facing materials, such as in the instance above—can be tricky territory, according to linguists and those who study gender and sexuality. Such references are still extremely common in both public and private spheres, but more conversations surrounding word choice are occurring. A couple years back, for example, the BBC nixed the use of the word “girl” referring to adult women, and in 2013, Forbes devoted an entire article to the usage of the word. In it, writer Kashmir Hill quotes a source saying, “You never see an action hero with ‘boy’ in his name. It’s hard to imagine Robert Downey Jr. signing up to play ‘Iron Boy.’”

Isn’t it harmless, though?

Very often, the answer is no, even if the speaker is well intentioned. “Use of the word ‘girls’ continues to suppress women in a male-dominated society,” says Lisa Borchardt, MSW, LCSW, professor of social work at Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln, Neb.

“It reinforces gender inequality and bias, it can keep women from leadership positions (because of the connotation that she’s not old enough, experienced enough, or smart enough to lead), and it may contribute to low self-confidence.” — Lisa Borchardt, MSW, LCSW

“It can be a way to talk down to women. To be patronizing. To infantilize them. To not take them seriously,” says Erica Smith, MEd, sexuality educator and advocate for LGBTQ youth at a major hospital in Philadelphia.

“It also keeps women down when ‘girl’ is used as an insult—when any feminine term, like ‘pussy,’ is an automatic insult.”

“My own take on the use of ‘girl’ and ‘boy’: If you’re not talking about a child or a love interest, these terms are best avoided,” writes Hill.

For those of you stressin’ about saying the wrong thing, I get it: Language is constantly evolving, and even those who want to stay up to date can find it difficult to keep track of what version we’re on now. But, as is the case in most relationships, being respectful and asking a few questions about preferences goes a long way.

When to Avoid “Girls”

“My favorite movie is Thelma and Louise, and one thing I always hated was how all of the male investigators in the movie constantly refer to them as ‘girls,’” says Smith. “Like, these two just killed a rapist and robbed a liquor store, they sure as shit aren’t just ‘girls.’”

Smith offers some guidance on when else not to use the term:

• In a professional setting when a man is speaking about female colleagues.
• Any time a man/masculine adult uses it when speaking about women who are of equal age/standing.
• Any time it’s used as an insult by anyone, regardless of gender.

When in doubt, says Smith, stay neutral: “I’m a fan of removing gendered terms whenever possible. How about y’all? Everyone? Folks? You’s and yinz, for Pennsylvania people!”

“We as a society need to move away from labels,” says Borchardt, who encourages using the names of the people or groups of people you’re addressing. “In sports, ‘Let’s go, team’ sends a message of unity versus a demeaning ‘Let’s go, girls.’”

When “Girl” Talk Is Appropriate

OK, but girls do exist…right?

They do, but again, there’s some gray area here, too. My own loose age limit for the world “girls” has long been around the age of 18, but Borchardt and others prefer even earlier, around age 12, after which they suggest making the switcheroo to “young woman” or, even better, the genderless moniker “teenager.”

There are no hard and fast rules, and context matters, so again, do the best you can and keep asking questions.

“Girls’ Night Out” and Other Exceptions

“We’ve all heard ‘you throw like a girl’ or ‘stop being a girl’ or ‘screamed like a little girl’ as a way to insult masculine folks,” says Smith.

“But like so many other terms, I believe it can be reclaimed and used in an empowering way by those who self-identify. ‘Girl’ is definitely not always a bad word in my book, but it’s also not for everyone.”

Exceptions are all about context. Are you a woman yourself? What is your relationship with the person or people you’re talking to or about? What is that person’s preference? “Using the term ‘girl’ within one’s social network has become a cultural norm—for example, ‘girlfriends’ or ‘girls’ night out.’ Within different cultures, there are terms that are used within that group that only members of that group can say to each other without offending people,” says Borchardt.

“I actually love when older women refer to each other and themselves as girls,” says Smith. “My mother will say to me, ‘I talked to one of the girls at doctor so-and-so’s office,’ and chances are she’s speaking about a woman aged anywhere from 20 to 65. The women in question also refer to themselves as girls. I like this in the same way I love when older women call me baby or doll (but I wouldn’t want a strange man to call me this).

“Also, sometimes queer men and trans women of all ages use the term ‘girl’ and ‘girlfriend’ to refer to themselves and members of their community, and it’s said with affection,” adds Smith. “That’s an acceptable use in my mind. It’s definitely not the same as men using it to put women down or to put other men down.

“I think that using ‘girls’ is always OK if you self-identify as a girl and are referring to yourself and/or other people who self-identify as girls,” says Smith. “If you’re a masculine person and have no relation or identification with the term ‘girl,’ on the other hand, then proceed with caution. Only use it to refer to actual children and young adults. And definitely don’t use it to insult anyone, ever.”

What about other gendered terms, such as “lady” or “gal”?

The same rules—and massive gray area—apply. “Again, I find the usage to be OK only if women are self-identifying,” says Smith. “I’m really into valuing femininity and the femme aspect of things, and realizing our power,” says Smith. “So I’m careful not to totally dismiss the word ‘girls’ when used by adult women, because there’s really not a damn thing wrong with being a girl.”

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The post “Girls” Gone Wrong appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

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VH1 announced today that Martha Stewart and Snoop Dog will be teaming up to host a reality show called Martha & Snoop’s Dinner Party. The show will focus on the two cultural icons throwing dinner parties for their celebrity friends. “At our dinner party, we will exemplify America’s fascination with food, entertaining and celebrity. ‘Martha & Snoop’s Dinner Party’ will redesign the traditional food competition shows in a new, different and very funny way,” Stewart says of the upcoming show.

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When it comes to avocado toast, the best slices go well beyond two ingredients. If you require further proof, let us present this caprese avocado toast. All the components of a caprese salad — from the ripe tomatoes and the creamy mozzarella to the fresh basil and the tangy balsamic glaze — are a good friend to the cool avocado. If there was ever an example of when the whole is better than the sum of its parts (and we’re talking about irresistible parts!), caprese avocado toast nails it on the head.

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All your 90s dreams are coming true today, as Crystal Pepsi finally hits stores in the United States. The color-free, caffeine-free soda was first introduced in 1992, but was discontinued after only a year in stores. Over 38,000 people recently signed a Change.org petition to bring back the drink, and Pepsi heard the consumer cries.

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From Apartment Therapy → Before & After: A Charming DIY Kitchen Update for Under $5k

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As a child, I gravitated towards anything blue. It wasn’t necessarily for the flavor, most often labeled as the mysterious “blue raspberry,” a fruit which, spoiler alert, doesn’t actually exist in the wild. No, my fascination with cobalt Popsicles and blueberry-hued candy was all about the novelty — oh, and the fact that after eating that blue lollipop from the bank teller, the inside of my mouth looked like I licked a Smurf.

This attraction to blue foods seems to hold true for kids today: My nephew is a toddler of few words, but two of them are “bwoo pop” and, when making frosting with my 4-year-old niece recently, she immediately reached for the blue food coloring.

I, however, winced at the thought of eating something blue. “Here’s the red,” I offered, pushing the small pointy bottle towards her. Blue foods may have been alluring to my kid-self, but my cravings seem to have desisted sometime around puberty.

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My grandmother kept a tidy little vegetable garden outside her New England home. While she did a decent job of growing squash, cucumbers, and some tomatoes, her best results always came out of her snap bean plants. This also meant my annual August trips to visit her were filled by snapping beans on her porch (a job reserved strictly for grandchildren) and putting jars upon jars of canned green beans in her cellar. She never taught me her recipes, but many years later I’ve mastered the art of turning fresh snap beans into tart dilly pickles from farm-stand green beans.

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This week’s 10-Minute Happy Hour was inspired by multiple factors. All the hype for Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee celebration this weekend has me in a royal state of mind. Then my darling friend Belinda, who also happens to be British, decided to have an intimate dinner party. Since I’ve been working mainly on mixed drinks as of late, I offered to bring a cocktail to kick off the evening. The gesture was made before actually thinking through how I’d transport said offer.

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