Merriam-Webster defines a hobby as "a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation."
I pursue many things outside of my regular "occupation," but the one that immediately came to my mind is my hobby of Olympic Weightlifting.
It can be a constant struggle as a woman to accept your body, the number on the scale, and the way you look in the mirror. Something that weightlifting specifically has gifted me is the relief of those pressures. Do I still want to look a certain way or still check the scale? Yes, but it is for measuring my fitness and not measuring my worth. Weightlifting makes me feel powerful.
I revel in what I can do and my ability, and that gives me confidence that I have been able to share with my daughters. When you are taking care of your body, everything else falls into place. For me, weightlifting has been a stress reliever from my busy occupation of motherhood. I love being a mom, but mom's need outlets and personal time to take care of themselves. That is what weightlifting has given me.
I mainly do my Olympic weightlifting at the crossfit gym or in my garage. I need to have a 35kg bar, free weights, squat rack, and a level space in order to do my lifting. My garage unfortunately has a slight slope, but it is usually overcome if I can set up my barbell in just the right spot. If I don't, I end up chasing the barbell when it lands because it will roll a little. When I do a lifting session it is normally 60-120minutes. Olympic Weightlifting is composed of two lifts even though I train in other lifts to gain strength overall. The two lifts in Olympic Weightlifting are the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk.
Someday, I will do an in-person competition. My top lifts are 165# for Snatch and 200# for Clean and Jerk. Off the rack, I have jerked 235#.
230# Split Jerk
So far, I have only done a couple online because of pandemic problems, but I hope to remedy that when my homeschooling responsibilities lighten up somewhat and I can ramp up my training.
This is my favorite hobby, and I hope you enjoyed hearing a little bit about it. Let me know if you have any questions.
Weekend Engagement Hobby Challenge, Option #1. Here ya go 