superfitbabe

I never thought I’d say this, but…yes, I have entered a contest for a cover on a magazine!

While I just completed my first ever professional photoshoot, this endeavor is totally different–and very much so. Even though incorporating more fashion and love for clothing design as an art has been absolutely phenomenal for me, health and wellness still hold a very warm and cozy place in my heart. I am forever, ever, indebted to the start of my journey and how we got to the present moment. Additionally, I am immensely grateful for every single person who has supported me throughout every stage, whether they showed up for a second or were available 24/7 to help out.

I will be the first to own, to admit, and to NOT deny that I don’t fit the prototype of the ideal influencer in the Instagram fitness world. I used to have a typical gym membership for bodybuilding exercises and lived off of split workouts…yeah, not anymore. Throughout 2021-2022, I started branching out to countless physical activities such as rock climbing, jiu-jitsu, as well as fitness classes from Orange Theory and various gyms from ClassPass. Consequently, the content I post about working out aren’t as focused on aesthetics as one would anticipate. Where are the selfies to analyze my body composition? Where are the reels that share tips on how to obtain your best physique possible? Sure, you’ll see a couple of selfies indicating where my favorite workout classes are and that I do indeed exercise; they just don’t come with a set of instructions on how you can do the same.

As I’ve grown past my latter half of high school into my mid-20s (oy vey), I focus less on instructing people to look a certain way. Yes, I lost a lot of weight from working out and eating more healthily, but fitness has blossomed past merely an image, let alone a set of numbers. Ultimately, your health and wellness habits are allowed to change with the flow of your current circumstances and goals so as long as your foundation (i.e. positively configured mindset) is the same. Never in a million years would I assume that I could climb rocks on indoor walls or a Pilates reformer would be my best friend. However, I am aware that at some point my routine can shift again. I may want to try something new. That’s okay. Unless you make most of your money off of promoting your current workout routine, you’re not married to it. Even then, you can create new editions and guides to showcase your evolution.

Okay, now for the critical questions you’ve been asking: why on Earth did I enter this contest? Ultimately, I want to inspire people that fitness is applicable to almost anything that encourages you to move and feel better about yourself (emphasis on feel, not look). That includes activities outside of a gym with weight-lifting machines. I was diagnosed with a physical condition that I once found debilitating, now manageable where I can still accomplish anything I put my mind to after taking more control over it than having it control me. Lastly, practicing self-care and self-love transformed everything, making health and wellness more habitual than regimented. You are truly, genuinely, and sincerely limitless with how much you can love yourself.

Truth is, I came across the Ms and Health Fitness magazine on Instagram a couple years back. At the time, I thought I was too young and unqualified to try and win. Still, it was inspiring to watch different women share their individual journeys that catalyzed them to the best versions of themselves, or at least significantly better than they were previously. After my first professional photoshoot for a smaller fashion magazine, I realized: why stop there? This was a blast! What else can I achieve? Let’s strive towards something else!

Additionally–and this might sound a little controversial–I grew up with very, very few magazine covers with girls and women that look like me. Recently, more Asian women have graced countless big-name fashion magazine covers. Still, I find it a little bewildering that it is so soon that they made history with this. Personally, of course I am not at the end-goal I’ve set for myself. I tend to set new ones annually, even more frequently if I’m feeling frisky. For instance, I would like to improve my rock climbing skills and obtain my pink belt in jiu-jitsu this year. But after I celebrate my achievements for some time, what would the next goals look like?

I just want to conclude this post very cheekily: thank you so much for reading. Even you taking the time to make it here means everything–it is more than that I can ask for. The link to vote for me is embedded above, but it is here too in case you missed it. Thank you again!

Voting Link: https://mshealthandfitness.com/2023/cassie-tra