Confidence Under Construction

My name is Sharon Stephen. I’m an Indian South African born and raised in Johannesburg. I’m a mother of two and have been happily married for 12 years.

confidence

I am naturally athletic and at school I participated in various sports including track events and volleyball among others. I was also honoured to captain the girls’ volleyball squad for my last four years of high school (I first played volleyball when I was 5 years old).

As an adult, I never had a problem with my weight and was blessed with a good figure, right up until I fell pregnant for the first time in 2009 at the age of 29. During that pregnancy I gained 27 kilos – I had let myself go in the worse way.

To lose weight after giving birth to my son, I began taking my dog for long walks and regulating my diet. I also breastfed and this really helped me to regain my figure. A year after giving birth to baby No 1, I was finally able to fit into my size 6 jeans again!

A month after that momentous day, I discovered that I was expecting baby No 2 (at age 30) and I was already 11 weeks along. I was elated of course but knew that my body might never be the same again after this birth. I immediately committed to not letting myself go a second time and gained only 14 kilos of weight during this pregnancy. This time, however, the weight was really stubborn. Seven months after my daughter was born, I decided to sign up at a local personal training studio called Team Chaz. I was intent on realising a lifelong dream – bodybuilding.

I’ve always had an interest in this form of fitness but did not have much guidance or knowledge about it growing up. Coming from a conservative, patriarchal Indian community also made it difficult to gain experience in weightlifting, a key component of bodybuilding. There are also some really gross misconceptions about the sport (which we will touch on another time). At last I could pursue this challenge at age 31, after having two children. This journey into the fitness world began in September 2011.

I knew nothing at this stage. I didn’t know what a ‘lunge’ or a ‘burpee’ was. I’d never lifted weights before but I was not intimidated by my obvious lack of basic skills. I was determined to push through this maze of new experiences regardless of my cultural background, sex, height or any other physical, social or imaginary element that could retard my potential.

I could sense the skeptics around me waiting for the moment when I would throw in the towel but I persevered.

Today, I’m delighted to say that I have successfully built my body and continue to do so consistently year on year. I have gained so much more than a great physique. I have also built my mind, my discipline and most importantly my faith in myself.

Something happened to my confidence after I became a mother. The Sharon I knew no longer existed – physically and emotionally and so I took the opportunity to redevelop myself. I didn’t resist the challenge to change so that I could grow.

The greatest joy through this personal pursuit is being able to share my knowledge with other women and encourage them to understand that we can do so much more than we think. We will never know if we don’t try. The hardest part for me was moving past what society thinks is right for me and holding onto my convictions when I made good choices, even if these choices weren’t aligned to the culture that governs me.

Being a physically strong and mentally confident woman depends completely on one small simple thing – a decision to be better than you were yesterday.

This is just the beginning of my story – I can’t wait to share the rest with you.

If you’re thinking about starting a fitness routine, don’t be afraid to ask questions and do some research. You might try a few different things before you find what suits you. Be flexible though, you don’t have to be a member of a gym to get fit. Buying and using a skipping rope is the most effective exercise ever! It can also be done anywhere.

Here are ten body weight exercises you can try at home: