By Leah Hantman
As the name would suggest, Galentine’s Day is a celebration of female friendship. On Thursday, February 18th the ladies of Empowered Rx and Prototype Training Systems gathered to celebrate fitness, fun and female relationships. We started with a Galentine’s day themed 14 minute AMRAP called Ganache! This spicy and sweaty workout was made much sweeter with the laughs and social time after.
Galentine’s Day was the first of many Empowered Rx meet-ups and we are so excited to see the group grow! Last night was just the beginning and already demonstrated that when women embrace their differences and show up with their unique abilities with a giving mindset, the world will just be a better place. When you appreciate the women in your life, make sure to let them know!
Prototype CrossFit Coach and Pro-chef, Christina created beverage recipe cards for us including a protein smoothie, a zero-proof non-alcoholic cocktail and a cocktail. When your friends happen to be amazing cooks you will eat a lot of amazing food and experience a ton of belly laughs! We were joined by our other female Coaches of Prototype, Sam and Nicole. These ladies are amazing and so strong, I am honored to work beside them and to call them my friends. Nicole is a force of nature and one strong mama! She was seen doing push ups and squats with her daughter on her back. Total badass. Sam is an amazing listener! This is a quality that is hard to come by sometimes. If ever you are having a bad day, you know Sam will be there to sit with you through it.
We were joined by a bunch of other women who were there for the good times! The ladies came decked out in Galentine’s gear and ready to work! We crushed that WOD and then just hung out. It was awesome!
Empowered RX is a new program that focuses on helping women turn their struggles into strengths. This trauma-informed service and community is an educational and coaching platform all about women empowering women to live their most happy and authentic lives. It’s also a place to just show up and have some fun which is what last night was all about.
Empowered RX runs out of Prototype Training Systems and includes members from all walks of life, interests and fitness backgrounds. Many of them take CrossFit at our facility, others are in the Barbell Club. What they all have in common? A desire to live a healthy and fun life. Having a strong tribe of women behind you is a KEY component to achieving this and here’s why.
Studies show that in times of stress women often experience “fight or flight” but that female friendships can help buffer this experience and create a “tend and befriend” response instead.
When we hang out with our female friends and can feel free to be ourselves, to laugh, to share experiences and to overcome together- the result is something AMAZING. Not only is it fun and freeing, our bodies literally respond on a chemical level. Oxytocin and Serotonin surge creating feelings of intimacy and bonding making it less likely that women will feel isolated alone. The “tend and befriend” effect promotes resiliency, self-care, agency and confidence to tackle the hard stuff and to take time to heal.
Stress, anxiety and helplessness are at an all time high during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Our virtual world has allowed us the ability to check-up on distant friends making the connection to other females and friendships easier to sustain. Quick text messages are OK, but engaging in real conversation with someone face-to-face is simply the best! We will be having virtual meet-ups on a regular basis where we can see all the beautiful ladies come together. These meet-ups will have specific themes like- Fitness, Mindset & Stress.
At the end of the day do you NEED a #girlsquad?
Like with anything, the answer is that you don’t. Life sure is better with one though. Some ladies find groups to be overwhelming or negative. In recent conversations with women who have felt this way I’ve discovered that many of them have had really terrible experiences in female groups where “cattiness and bullying” have been the key element.
I encourage all of you to just show up to one of our Empowered Rx events with an open mind. This group is not like any other! The whole purpose is to gather women, to bond and to live through shared experiences of struggle together. It is a SAFE & JUDGEMENT free zone that fosters growth, authenticity and freedom to just BE YOU! We are an inclusive group that welcomes all shapes, colors, sizes and ages!
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