In The Confidence Code, Christine Lagarde offers a brilliant call to action: “Dare the difference.” Dare to define your own path to exhibiting confidence in your life. Dare to break through women’s statistical habit of not exercising confidence as often as we could.

I, of course, love this.

So much so that I suggest you apply it to your strength endeavors as well. Strength training is gaining significant popularity among women right now and for good reason. The benefits are incredible – improved metabolism, bone density, fat loss and muscle mass increases just to name a few. However, with in this trend, we, as women must “Dare the difference.”  We are anatomically different from men and that awareness is integral in effective strength training program design.

You are unique. Select a plan and definition of strength that speaks to you. Create fitness goals that bring you to what you really want, however different or unpopular. And, like our unique brand of confidence, this might also be different than a man’s.  Maybe you would love to be able to do a handstand, a pull up, to dance the tango, to carry your toddler up 3 flights with out being winded, or to simply feel strong again after a time of placing your health on the back burner. If you are enticed by the idea of strength training (and I hope you are), dare to move forward and dare to choose a workout that speaks to your preferences and your anatomy. It is a delight to define our own kind of strength. Dare to do it. Your body and mind will thank you.