Strength

What advice would you give to teens who want to get more active?

Discover Your Fitness Passion: Advice for Active Teens

What advice would I give to teens who want to get more active? I work with a lot of teenage girls in strength and conditioning and my favorite thing is helping them find something they love. And that's my number one piece of advice is fitness doesn't have to be your standard sports, your soccer, tennis, basketball. It can be anything. It can be rock climbing, it can be circus events, it can be gymnastics. There are so many choices out there and ways to be active and move. So the first thing is try lots of things and find the way that you love to move. Maybe you just like to go to the gym and do peloton workouts or do a fitness class. That's totally fine. My second bit of advice is only compare yourself to you. There are so many amazing athletes out there and they like to post all their stuff on social media. Please don't get discouraged. You work on being the best version of you and getting better at what you are trying to do every day.

Find something you love to do that is active, don't compare yourself to others and just focus on being the best version of you.

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If I were to give advice to teens who want to become more active, my first suggestion would be to find something they truly enjoy. Fitness doesn't have to be limited to traditional sports like soccer or basketball. There are numerous options available, such as rock climbing, circus events, or gymnastics. The key is to explore different activities and discover the type of movement that brings joy and excitement. It could even be something as simple as going to the gym for Peloton workouts or attending fitness classes. My second piece of advice is to avoid comparing oneself to others. Social media showcases countless impressive athletes, and it's easy to feel discouraged when comparing oneself to them. Instead, focus on personal progress and becoming the best version of oneself in their chosen activity, striving for improvement each day.

What kind of challenges have you faced as a female athlete in a male dominated sport?

Overcoming Hurdles: Female Athletes Share Their Stories

What kinds of challenges have I faced as a female athlete in predominantly male focused sports? So my two big sports growing up were lumberjack sports, log rolling, I'm a world champion log roller, and pole vaulting. I began pole vaulting in 1998 and here in Wisconsin girls weren't allowed to pole vault yet so I had to be on the boys track team. But really there were just a few additional hurdles. I had to fill out some paperwork and talk to the coaches and ask permission to be on the boys team and I was very lucky that I had a lot of support in the teachers and the coaches and my fellow students. And luckily for me that allowed me to be the first female pole vaulter at the University of Wisconsin. So I had nothing but help. Lumberjack sports, women also, it's a male focused sport however there are probably more females right now in log rolling than males which is pretty cool. So once again people may seem shocked however it's a very supportive environment and there's a lot of female coaches. Problems other female athletes see in male dominated sports, unfortunately there's still a big pay gap and that's a major issue. Luckily I haven't faced that because neither of my sports pay a lot of money. And a lot of times women get sexualized in these sports as well so we want to focus on the athleticism rather than how they look. And finally just access to great, inspirational other female coaches.

As a female athlete in predominantly male-focused sports, I faced the additional hurdle of having to fill out paperwork and get permission from coaches to participate. Additionally, there is still a major pay gap between male and female athletes in these sports, as well as issues of sexualization of female athletes. Finally, access to great inspirational female coaches is limited.

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As a female athlete in male-dominated sports, I have faced some challenges. Growing up, my main sports were log rolling in lumberjack sports and pole vaulting. When I started pole vaulting in 1998, girls weren't allowed to participate yet in Wisconsin, so I had to be on the boys track team. However, the additional hurdles were minimal. I had to complete some paperwork and seek permission from the coaches, but fortunately, I received a lot of support from teachers, coaches, and fellow students. This allowed me to become the first female pole vaulter at the University of Wisconsin. In lumberjack sports, while it is male-focused, there are now more females involved in log rolling than males, creating a supportive environment with many female coaches. However, other female athletes in male-dominated sports face ongoing issues such as a significant pay gap and sexualization based on appearance. It's important to shift the focus onto athleticism and provide access to inspiring female coaches. Personally, the pay aspect hasn't affected me much since neither of my sports offers high financial rewards.

Hi Shana! Tell people about your background, expertise, and how you can help.

Meet Shana Verstegen: Fitness Expert, World Champion Lumberjack

Hello everybody, my name is Shana Verstegen. I have been in the fitness industry for over 25 years. I have a bachelor's in science in kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and I'm a certified personal trainer. I'm a master instructor with the American Council on Exercise. I help them provide content and teach continuing education. I'm also a master instructor for TRX training and Kaiser cycling. I have been a personal trainer for a long time, direct a health club here in Madison, Wisconsin, take on dozens of clients weekly with a focus on women and strength and conditioning and teenage girls and strength and conditioning. Personally, I'm a six-time world champion lumberjack athlete. I'm a log roller and I am a gymnast and I coach gymnastics. Fun fact, I've been on American Ninja Warrior and Broken Skull Ranch and love challenging myself.

Shawna is a fitness expert with 25 years of experience. She has a degree in kinesiology and is a certified personal trainer and master instructor for American Council on Exercise, TRX Training, and Kaiser Cycling. She also has coached gymnastics and been a six-time world champion Lumberjack athlete. She has also been on American Ninja Warrior and Broken Skull Ranch.

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Hello everyone, I'm Shana Verstegen, a seasoned professional in the fitness industry with more than 25 years of experience. I hold a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and am a certified personal trainer. In addition, I am a master instructor with the American Council on Exercise, where I contribute content and lead continuing education courses. I also serve as a master instructor for TRX training and Kaiser cycling. As a personal trainer, I work extensively with clients, both at my health club in Madison, Wisconsin, and through individual sessions. My focus areas include women's strength and conditioning as well as helping teenage girls develop their strength and conditioning. On a personal note, I have achieved significant success in lumberjack athletics, being crowned a six-time world champion log roller. I am also involved in gymnastics as both an athlete and coach. As an added adventure, I have appeared on shows like American Ninja Warrior and Broken Skull Ranch, always seeking new challenges to push my limits.

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Shana is a TRX and American Council on exercise master instructor and a six-time world champion lumberjack athlete. She holds a degree in Kinesiology - Exercise Science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and is a certified personal trainer through ACE, NASM and NFPT. An energetic and personable speaker, she is also the National spokesperson for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America.

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