i call it ninja chic

I call it ninja chic.

I work out to get messy. messy is sexy. The “looking good” part is the cherry on top.

Ninja chic: clad in all black, without distraction or insecurity about my belly hanging over my 30$ American Apparel ripped leggings, or my boobs sticking out of my 8$ old navy tee shirt, layered atop my boys sports authority baseball tee.

Sexy is a feeling. I don’t need to “look sexy” to feel sexy. Ninjas are sexy: precise, technical, tactile + focused. I work out like a ninja. With a mission in mind, a clear head + open heart.

Rewind to my 15 year old self: less ninja + more layered long sleeves, sweating buckets in bikram yoga. Sweating thru my insecurities as they stared back at me in the mirror as I perfected my dancer pose, bending in every direction, judging myself skin deep. Thru self awareness and self love, I turned off the noise+ looked within.

While my outlook has changed, getting messy has not. I work out for me. I work out to feel. Push my limits. To fight + flow. To let go.  Success is the sweat dripping down my back, my heart pumping out of my chest, my breath still steady. You only look as good as you feel.  I feel ALIVE.

In my ninja chic, I operate with tenacity and in some ways a disguise. I show up with grit + grace, to be better than I was yesterday – not to compare or be compared, judge or be judged.  I slide into class unassuming, and move with precision + competitive edge.

Ninja chic works for me. Do what works for you.