Body positivity, as defined by Psychology Today, “means accepting the body you have as well as the changes in shape, size, and ability it may undergo due to nature, age, or your own personal choices throughout your lifetime.”

It’s the understanding that your worth and what’s going on with you physically are two separate entities — that no matter what’s happening inside, outside, or to your body, you’re still just as worthwhile as the person next to you.”

The CWU women who make up the staff and personal trainers of the SURC have dedicated Ladies’ Night to empowering the women at CWU in order to gain confidence and experience both in the weight room with their own wellness.

By the end of the night, the girls in attendance, ranging in all expertise, were at ease and excited about newly learned workouts, workout plans, and accessible programs on campus to improve their overall healthiness.

For two hours last Thursday, April 12 the downstairs weight-room in the SURC was closed for the event devoted to encouraging and educating women about the appropriate forms of postures when it comes to weight lifting, and the resources CWU has available for women’s health and wellness.

The event began when Hannah Allen, a health programming graduate assistant, started off by welcoming the 48 girls in attendance, stating she and the other women personal trainers were excited about the turn out and ready to get the event started.

Introducing the trainers and allowing the excitement of crowd to die down, Allen took the time  to describe the biggest influences for Ladies’ Night, and her hopes in what the event can do for the young woman at CWU.

“The idea for this event came during a training session for Body Project Facilitators through the Wellness Center.  

During our lunch break, several women were discussing how intimidating it can be to use the weight room in the Recreation Center,” Allen said.

“We thought that an event like Ladies’ Night would be a perfect first step toward breaking down the barriers that often keep women from using the weight room.”

Ladies’ Night had six stations each for about 15 to 20 minutes. Stations three through six had personal trainers focusing on the correct articulation when using dumbbells, machines, free weights, and benches.

Stations one and two focused on women’s health through the Wellness Center and Peer Nutrition Education counseling.

The event and the energy of the weight room was full of support from the trainer’s comforting and encouraging words of  “Here, try it this way” and “Yes! That is how you do a squat.”

Two female senior students, one majoring in cultural anthropology and the other psychology, talked about the event as the night came to a close.

The two woman asked to have their names unidentified because they didn’t feel “comfortable” thinking about others knowing they weren’t comfortable while going to the gym.

“I wish they had something like this before my senior year. It’s been a struggle to go into the weight-room because of how intimidating it is,” the psychology major said.

“It definitely made me feel more confident and comfortable with the equipment,” the anthropology major said.