International Women’s Day

Celebrating International Women’s Day. An Interview with Darlene Reid

Tuesday March 28 is International Women’s Day. This global day was established in 1911 with over a million individuals gathering to support gender parity. Today we recognize and celebrate the social, economic, and political achievements of women and the roles women around the world have had in strengthening communities.

Throughout the YMCA and the world, we see women as leaders serving their community. The majority of the Dayton YMCA corporate staff is comprised of female leaders. At my home branch, Coffman YMCA, Darlene Reid is a femme packed powerhouse. In addition to being the Senior Health & Wellness Director, she also teaches fitness classes such as, total body training, cardio kickboxing, and TRX. In honor of International Women’s Day, we interviewed Dar. We hope her answers will serve as inspiration for other women.

Dar, many women look up to you as a role model because of your uplifting attitude. Where do you find your own inspiration?

I find my inspiration from three areas.
1) My faith – it keeps me grounded.
2) My family – they support me.
And 3) My friends – They understand my goals and help motivate me to achieve them

What is one stereotype about women in fitness that is absolutely not true, and how can we fight against it?

Girls don’t like to lift heavy or if they do, they will get big. This is so far from the truth! Muscles are a girls best friend. Keep lifting heavy girls! The muscle mass you maintain now will not only benefit you currently but also in the future when you’re older.

This International Women’s Day, what is the one piece of advice you want to tell women in our community who are looking to get started on their own fitness journey?

Just start! Find something you love to do and just start. Stop talking about it and start doing it! Stop making excuses like “It is too hard”, “I don’t have time”, I don’t have the money”. Instead say, “I am going to try. Instead of watching TV I am going to move instead. Instead of buying lunch everyday, buy lunch just twice a week.” Start breaking down your goal into smaller goals. Picture what progress would look like for the day versus the week, month, or year. My favorite quote for the last 30 years has been, “don’t allow the challenges you face in life defeat you. Instead allow them to be the opportunities that enable you to learn, grow, and become stronger.”

Thank you Dar for your words of wisdom! If you are interested in improving your health and wellness, please take Dar’s words to heart. You can contact her at DReid@daytonymca.org or check out the YMCA’s other health and wellness resources.