B. StrongHer

The Right Tool for the Job: Your Shoes Matter More Than You Think 👟

Quick question…

Would you try to deadlift standing on a pillow?

Because that’s basically what you’re doing when you wear thick cushioned running shoes to lift weights. 😅

Today I brought a few examples from my own lineup:

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👟 HOKA (Super Cushioned Running Shoe)
These are AMAZING for long miles. Lots of shock absorption. Great for protecting joints while running or walking distance.

BUT…

Trying to deadlift in these feels like standing on marshmallows.

And that’s a problem.

When we deadlift, we want to generate force by pushing the ground away. Your feet should feel planted, stable, and connected to the floor.

If your shoe compresses like a mattress every time you apply force, you lose power and stability.

Think about it:
If the ground moves… how can you push against it?

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👟 Nike Metcon (Flat Training Shoe)
Now we’re talking.

Flat sole. Solid base. Very little compression.

This lets you drive through the floor when squatting, deadlifting, or doing strength work. Your body can transfer force efficiently from the ground up.

Translation: Better stability. Better power. Safer lifting.

This is also why you’ll see people lifting in Jordan's, Converse… or even just their socks!

They’re trying to create the most direct connection possible between their feet and the ground so they can generate maximum force.

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👟 Regular Nike Trainer (Middle Ground)
These are somewhere in between. Slightly cushioned, but still relatively stable.

I’ll wear these on general training days when we’re doing a mix of movements.

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👟 Brooks Ghost (Running Shoe)
Another great running shoe. Not quite as pillowy as the HOKA, but still designed for forward motion and impact absorption.

Perfect for running.

Not ideal for heavy lifting.

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Here's the bottom line:

Different movements require different tools.

Running shoes = built to absorb impact
Lifting shoes = built for stability and force production

Train smart, ladies.

Your feet are the foundation of every lift.

This may sound crazy, but there is a time in my life when I thought “how in the world 🌎 could I ever go a day without stopping at Starbucks?”

It was so much a part of my life. It was my morning stop. Even as I stand here in the airport waiting to board, I walked right by the space that used to be my mothership.

I say all this to say…this wellness/fit path requires hard decisions and changes.

AND, more importantly, WE CAN MAKE THEM!!

Keep fighting! 💪🏽🙏🏽🏋️🥰

Stephanie Bowie when you realize that you are the change you’ve been waiting on.

Consider this: The outcomes I seek are on the other side of the instructions I refuse to follow.

The BEST part about this Sunday meal is that it is ON MY PLAN!!

This is what can happen with honesty and transparency with your trainer.

In my last consultation, my coach asked me lots of questions about my meal, my habits, my workouts, etc.

Then she built a plan for ME that accommodates a couple of things I love!

Looking forward to this meal helps me to stay on track during the week!

Let’s go ladies!

Stephanie Bowie let’s go Warrior!!

It’s Training Tuesday!!

What are you working on today?? Drop a pic or a line!!

Your 2026 goals need YOU to show up!

It’s Training Tuesday!!

What are you working on today?? Drop a pic or a line!!

Your 2026 goals need YOU to show up!

Leading vs. Lagging Indicators: The Scale Is Lying to You (Kind Of)

Let’s talk about leading and lagging indicators—because this one shift can save you SO much frustration.

My trainer recently reminded me of something simple but powerful:
changing your body is mathematical. Numbers. Inputs. Outputs.

Here’s what’s different for me this time👇🏽
I know my body is changing—before the scale confirms it.

Why?

Because I’m doing the process.

I’m:

Measuring my protein

Drinking the water

Training at the prescribed intensity

Walking the distance

Following the plan consistently

And because I’m honoring the process, I’m emotionally neutral about the scale.

🚨 The Problem

Most of us obsess over the scale…
But the scale is a LAGGING indicator.

It tells you what already happened—not what you’re doing right now.

✅ The Shift

Leading indicators are the daily behaviors:

Protein intake

Hydration

Training intensity

Steps / movement

Sleep & recovery

When those are consistent, the results are inevitable.

No emotional rollercoaster.
No guesswork.
No self-betrayal.

Trust the process. Track the inputs. Let the outputs catch up.

This isn’t just fitness—it’s leadership, discipline, and self-trust in action.
And yes… the scale will follow. 👑

Send a message to learn more

Stephanie Bowie check this out!

Transformation requires the ability to hold two beliefs simultaneously.

1. I am so grateful for this body I inhabit! I love so many things about it: its strength, its flexibility, my shoulders.

2. I desire to be more lean, with a healthy body mass index and body fat percentage.

Understand that the desire to transform, improve, change something about yourself in no way minimizes the respect, honor, and gratitude we can feel for what we have!

Transformation requires the ability to hold two beliefs simultaneously.

1. I am so grateful for this body I inhabit! I love so many things about it: its strength, its flexibility, my shoulders.

2. I desire to be more lean, with a healthy body mass index and body fat percentage.

Understand that the desire to transform, improve, change something about yourself in no way minimizes the respect, honor, and gratitude we can feel for what we have!