I've always been an exceptionally strong woman. And when I say "always," I really do mean that: I remember at age 8 offering to carry all the groceries in on my own, at once. When I played field hockey, I always hit the ball the farthest, even though the other girls did hours of strength training while I played video games at home. When I did do strength training, I was the woman lifting more than some of the men at the gym. As one of my friends one said to me: "You just look like you belong in the weight room."
I'm still pretty strong, but recently, I've noticed my strength waning. Part of that, of course, is because I stopped doing weight lifting on a semi-regular basis. But another part is the fact that, the heavier I've gotten, the more of a strain it's been on my body just to cart itself around. So, my muscles, especially my leg muscles, are constantly tired, and I am left unable to lift the the mattress when I am making the bed, or to walk up stairs without feeling sore.
This is a terrible feeling for someone like me to have! I had always prided myself on being so damn strong. As a woman, it's so easy to be perceived as weak, so to know that I have physical strength is a rush. And it's also awesome to know just how much my body is capable of, and to push those limits. That's the feeling I want to have.