Strong? Vegan? Why Not?
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Getting fit.
It’s something most of us are meaning to do, and not many of us actually get round to. I don’t mean thin; we’re all fed up of having ‘drop a dress size in two weeks!’ shoved in our faces on a daily basis. I’m talking about taking control of our bodies, and making them strong, healthy and capable. I’m talking about not having to stop and pant as we run for the bus, and being able to carry four huge bags of shopping without wincing. I’m talking about our bodies being able to do exactly what we want them to, and knowing that they are every bit as much a part of us – every bit as under our control – as our minds and souls.
Getting strong and healthy is a lifelong effort, and the earlier we start, the better. After all, it’s much easier to stay fit than to get fit. Now is always the best time to start important projects; the sooner you begin, the more you will be able to benefit for the whole rest of your life!
Now, what you’re reading here isn’t some fad diet designed to make you think you can turn around your body overnight. We want you to know your options, and exactly what you can do. The way you get fit is a choice.
How to move: yoga and pilates?
Exercising doesn’t need to be any different for women and girls than for men. I’ve put it in bold because it’s so important. Men’s magazines recommend trying to get fit with lifting weights, press-ups, and a range of intense, muscle building stuff. Women’s magazines tend to recommend waving your arms and legs around a bit. Female hormones and male hormones act differently, so you needn’t fear you’ll end up looking like Muhammad Ali just because you’ve started lifting weights or doing squats. Intense muscle building makes you strong. Strong people have more control over their lives. Strong people don’t just have to be men. See where I’m going with this?
I’m certainly not saying don’t do yoga, pilates or any other exercise or sport that women are traditionally told to do. If you like them, do them! Just don’t feel limited by them. You too can fence, or box, do triathlons, weightlifting or any other form of exercise you fancy. Build your strength any way you like. Get healthy. Stay healthy. Do it on your own terms.
Pro-teen protein: you don’t have to sacrifice your morality to get healthy
In order to build muscle, get strong, and get healthy, you need to eat food that contains protein. Protein is what muscle is made of, and every time you exercise or play sports, your muscles tear and make new, stronger tissue. Even if you don’t think you have very developed muscles in your arms, legs or stomach, your heart is a muscle, too, and you use it every second of every day.
Most people get their protein through the meat, fish, eggs and dairy products in their diets. Nearly all guides to building muscle and improving strength mention protein shakes and eating a lot of red meat and fish. However, this technique doesn’t work for the two hundred thousand (and rising) UK teenagers eating a vegan diet.
Luckily, protein is also found in nearly everything we eat – carbs like pasta, rice and potatoes, oats, and lots of vegetables all have large amounts of protein in it. Vegans, who eat no meat or animal products, can get enough protein to become strong from a range of sources. Patrick Baboumian, Germany’s strongest man and a dedicated vegan, has broken handfuls of world records in weightlifting, prooving that strength is not linked to meat consumption. Foods like nuts, seeds and beans are perfect for vegans wanting to build strength, as they are animal-free and high in the right fats and proteins.
Why bother with it all? There’s no perfect option!
Eat healthily, and exercise well, and you will get fitter. That’s how it works, and no amount of detox, Atkins diets, juice fasting or any other fad will make you fitter better than simply eating better, and doing more exercise.
Your health is your responsibility, and something you’re going to live with for the rest of your life. Every single day, you will either benefit or struggle from the choices you have made. Don’t let other people make those choices for you. No diet or exercise plan is the ‘best’, or even the ‘best for you’. You just need to find something that you enjoy, something that fits into your life, and do it.
Be strong. Be capable. Be your best. After that, all the things the other mags are trying to get you to aspire towards – beauty, romance, self-confidence – will come of their own accord. Your body is where you have to live for the rest of your life. Now is the time to decide what sort of a body you want to live in.