Tap Into Your GLOW

How the female wrestlers of GLOW inspired me to tap into a larger than life version of myself.

 

 

At nine years old, I began to sneak out of my bed just before midnight. I’d patter down the hall to the living room with a blanket thrown over my shoulders, curl up into a tight ball on the closest cushion on the couch, turn the television on, and lower the volume to five. I’d make it just in time to see my sheroes “Zoya the Destroyer” and “Matilda the Hun”.

 

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The women of G.L.O.W. (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, for the uninitiated) were larger than life. Their energy filled a room and demanded attention in a way I had never seen a woman do in real life. They talked the talk and backed it up with a top rope body press.

I hadn’t thought about those late nights in decades, so when the memory hit me, I took it seriously. I don’t believe in coincidences.

The women of G.L.O.W. (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, for the uninitiated) were larger than life. Their energy filled a room and demanded attention in a way I had never seen a woman do in real life. They talked the talk and backed it up with a top rope body press.

I hadn’t thought about those late nights in decades, so when the memory hit me, I took it seriously. I don’t believe in coincidences.

This season of my life is asking me to be the strongest, most grounded, biggest, baddest version of myself. I need a shero and unfortunately, as my therapist reminded me, there is no “Junkchain” coming to save me. The shero of this absurdly written storyline is me.

That’s when I decided to go for the top rope. But how to do it? I knew I wanted to push myself physically, but spending another day in the studio felt like just another day at the office.

 

How I Channeled My Inner GLOW

 

Days passed and I was coming up short until I thought of another time in my life where I felt like I had to fight my way out of a corner. Even though life was a verifiable s*itshow, I felt strong and grounded thanks to a steady meditation and yoga practice combined with CrossFit.

The problem was, I didn’t want to do CrossFit. I also didn’t want to go to a class. It had to be something I owned (at least partially). I googled “old school gym in Miami” and I found it – locally owned, real weightlifters, real steel, no gimmicks. A place, the baddies of G.L.O.W. would be proud to call home.

My second challenge was that I hadn’t trained in weightlifting for about eight years. I googled weightlifting apps for women and found “MegSquats” a powerhouse powerlifter, mom, and creator of Stronger By The Day.

I had my gym and app and wasted no time telling my dad what I found. “Bob, it’s a real 80s-style gym, ” I said, “their number one rule is no phones.” The latter was the selling point and my dad came to train with me on my first day.

Going to the gym with my dad unlocked another childhood memory. I grew up watching him and his friends train hard. They existed as legends in my mind, so lifting with my dad was like getting to bench press with Andre the Giant after watching Princess Bride for the tenth time.

It’s been a week. Hardly enough time for a proper experiment, but, getting to lift heavy, when combined with meditation and yoga has been a real game-changer. Feeling more grounded, stronger, and prepared to take up space, I like to think the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling would be proud of me.

Now, it’s your turn…

What’s one thing that could help you become a bigger badder version of yourself?