Review by Mstrtim -- Beneath the Muscle by Lauren Powers
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[Following is a volunteer review of "Beneath the Muscle" by Lauren Powers.]
Bodybuilding is not everyone’s cup of tea and, from what I have witnessed, female bodybuilding even less so. However, over the past few years I’ve come to know a few bodybuilders personally - both men and women - and have even dabbled in the sport myself. Bodybuilders are a rare breed of athlete; they are totally comfortable with the paths they have chosen and recognize what they do as sport, not simply a hobby as others might believe. Unlike most of us, they ooze determination, passion and a desire to succeed. Championship bodybuilder Lauren Powers is one such competitor. In her wonderful book Beneath the Muscle, Ms. Powers dispels many of the misconceptions of the sport and the type of person drawn to it. However, this exceptional self-help book is not merely about bodybuilding. It is a personal memoir of one woman’s journey to confront and extol the beauty of being different.
Ms. Powers considers herself a “role model for people who are different.” By recapping her own failures and successes, she shares with the reader a life of passion, tenacity and determination in which she confronts tremendous odds, including severe substance abuse at an early age. She selflessly reveals the struggles behind her various careers, from professional surf instructor to firefighter to bodybuilder. Her wild ride through life is wonderfully inspiring and, with every page, Ms. Powers effortlessly places one motivational brick on top of another, each to our benefit.
From an early age, Ms. Powers recognized herself as someone that did not fit the mold. She learned to champion her individuality long before her decision to pose on the bodybuilder stage at age forty. Certainly, there were the naysayers along the way and she recognizes that not everyone is supportive of her lifestyle. “You could be the juiciest peach on the tree,” she writes, “and you’ll still run into people who don’t like peaches.” Ms. Powers exhibits genuine and honest self-reflection about her uniqueness. However, it’s upon this uniqueness that she continues to build her success as each new opportunity presents itself. She embraces each interest as it arises, gets started on the next path and remains passionate during the journey, no matter where it takes her.
Beneath the Muscle focuses a great deal on facing fear and “jumping in” to address new challenges that often, at least at first, seem daunting. She recounts how children gravitate to her, particularly young girls, who themselves suffer with a real fear of being different. “Convince them,” she writes, “that they have the power to create their own dreams and make them come true.”
Ms. Powers tackles her insecurities throughout the book and emphasizes the importance of self-discovery to become the person one is meant to be. She provides incite in ways to counter negativity, uphold one’s personal integrity, establish life balance and avoid judging others. Ms. Powers stresses the need to get started sooner than later on achieving one’s dreams and aspirations. Her mantra over the years has been to repeatedly ask herself, “How hard could it be?” She writes, “These words have done more for my self-esteem, confidence, and ability to take on new challenges than anything else in my life.”
Although Ms. Powers writes extensively about her professional bodybuilding championships, countless photo ops for industry publications, friendships with celebrities, and financial success, the overriding theme of the book is not glamour and glitz. It is rather a desire to help others address their own challenges by concentrating on themselves. Ms. Powers “lives in the moment” and recounts her multiple successes as methods to help others with their own personal journeys, particularly if others see themselves as different and not fitting in to established norms. Lifelong learning supports this theme of gaining and maintaining success and the “willingness to change your behavior and apply what you learn.”
Early in her book, Ms. Powers reveals that she wrote Beneath the Muscle “to inspire and motivate others to be true to themselves and recognize their own power.” Indeed, she does exactly that. Beneath the Muscle is a small, tidy book with huge messages. I give it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars with the highest recommendation. If you want to read a book and afterwards feel as if you can be a champion for your own individuality, then I strongly recommend that you read Beneath the Muscle before the sun goes down.
******
Beneath the Muscle
View: on Bookshelves |
Bodybuilding is not everyone’s cup of tea and, from what I have witnessed, female bodybuilding even less so. However, over the past few years I’ve come to know a few bodybuilders personally - both men and women - and have even dabbled in the sport myself. Bodybuilders are a rare breed of athlete; they are totally comfortable with the paths they have chosen and recognize what they do as sport, not simply a hobby as others might believe. Unlike most of us, they ooze determination, passion and a desire to succeed. Championship bodybuilder Lauren Powers is one such competitor. In her wonderful book Beneath the Muscle, Ms. Powers dispels many of the misconceptions of the sport and the type of person drawn to it. However, this exceptional self-help book is not merely about bodybuilding. It is a personal memoir of one woman’s journey to confront and extol the beauty of being different.
Ms. Powers considers herself a “role model for people who are different.” By recapping her own failures and successes, she shares with the reader a life of passion, tenacity and determination in which she confronts tremendous odds, including severe substance abuse at an early age. She selflessly reveals the struggles behind her various careers, from professional surf instructor to firefighter to bodybuilder. Her wild ride through life is wonderfully inspiring and, with every page, Ms. Powers effortlessly places one motivational brick on top of another, each to our benefit.
From an early age, Ms. Powers recognized herself as someone that did not fit the mold. She learned to champion her individuality long before her decision to pose on the bodybuilder stage at age forty. Certainly, there were the naysayers along the way and she recognizes that not everyone is supportive of her lifestyle. “You could be the juiciest peach on the tree,” she writes, “and you’ll still run into people who don’t like peaches.” Ms. Powers exhibits genuine and honest self-reflection about her uniqueness. However, it’s upon this uniqueness that she continues to build her success as each new opportunity presents itself. She embraces each interest as it arises, gets started on the next path and remains passionate during the journey, no matter where it takes her.
Beneath the Muscle focuses a great deal on facing fear and “jumping in” to address new challenges that often, at least at first, seem daunting. She recounts how children gravitate to her, particularly young girls, who themselves suffer with a real fear of being different. “Convince them,” she writes, “that they have the power to create their own dreams and make them come true.”
Ms. Powers tackles her insecurities throughout the book and emphasizes the importance of self-discovery to become the person one is meant to be. She provides incite in ways to counter negativity, uphold one’s personal integrity, establish life balance and avoid judging others. Ms. Powers stresses the need to get started sooner than later on achieving one’s dreams and aspirations. Her mantra over the years has been to repeatedly ask herself, “How hard could it be?” She writes, “These words have done more for my self-esteem, confidence, and ability to take on new challenges than anything else in my life.”
Although Ms. Powers writes extensively about her professional bodybuilding championships, countless photo ops for industry publications, friendships with celebrities, and financial success, the overriding theme of the book is not glamour and glitz. It is rather a desire to help others address their own challenges by concentrating on themselves. Ms. Powers “lives in the moment” and recounts her multiple successes as methods to help others with their own personal journeys, particularly if others see themselves as different and not fitting in to established norms. Lifelong learning supports this theme of gaining and maintaining success and the “willingness to change your behavior and apply what you learn.”
Early in her book, Ms. Powers reveals that she wrote Beneath the Muscle “to inspire and motivate others to be true to themselves and recognize their own power.” Indeed, she does exactly that. Beneath the Muscle is a small, tidy book with huge messages. I give it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars with the highest recommendation. If you want to read a book and afterwards feel as if you can be a champion for your own individuality, then I strongly recommend that you read Beneath the Muscle before the sun goes down.
******
Beneath the Muscle
View: on Bookshelves |
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