fitpanda was created on the foundation that both physical and mental fitness are fundamental to our overall health. This is a concept that I think everyone struggles with throughout their fitness journey. Growing up, I was very much into sports and fitness, but I never felt like I had the “right” body type. I was often told I was too muscular and stocky and my calves were too manly. I tried to change my fitness routines to try to “lengthen” my body (never succeeded by the way 😊) rather than gaining additional muscle mass. It took some time and a lot of work on my mentality to finally embrace my muscular build. I wasn’t alone in this shift of perception, as fitness and nutrition started to become a priority in our society, and athletic female bodies were portrayed in a more positive light and seen as healthy rather than "too manly" within mainstream media.
The idea for fitpanda came along because I wanted to contribute to this shift. Strong is sexy and we should all embrace that, within all of the different shapes and sizes that we come in. Being fit isn’t only about the physical composition of our bodies, but also our mental well-being. Some days we are going to feel fit AF, and some days we are going to feel like roly-poly Pandas, but we should feel proud every day of who we are, how far we’ve come, and how hard we are trying.
So, be a fitpanda. Get after it in the gym today, and I hope that wearing my clothes will contribute to helping you realize that STRONG is SEXY.
Sincerely,
Mandi Lo
fitpanda Owner and CEO