Kaylynn Yu: Realizing Her Full Potential and Combating Gender Stereotypes

"Through doing workouts, I'm being more positive and taking steps to become a healthier person, both physically and mentally." -- Kaylynn Yu

From her early years - so early that she couldn't remember exactly when - exercise became an integral part of her life. In this interview, my friend Kaylynn talked about how she built up her healthy workout routine by incorporating different exercises and how she has combated gender stereotypes in the process.

“My family upbringing played a big role in my love for sport as it had been an important activity at family gatherings, especially on weekends.”

Just a few years ago, she transformed from a passive follower to an active seeker of exercising.

“Like many girls my age, I was determined to be more in shape thus incorporating exercise into my daily routine. Originally, the purpose of my workouts was to burn calories, but soon I became addicted to them. Not only did I develop my stamina, exercising also improved my focus and made me feel much more energetic. And as I gradually got used to my exercise routine, I enjoyed the gym or the pool more."

After each workout, I emerged as a stronger, happier person. It was my elixir, my painkiller, especially for the immense academic stress. My perseverance and self-discipline prevailed in my academic life, and I became more independent in completing tasks.

Of course, it is inevitable to meet obstacles when persisting just like any other athletes that we interviewed. Kaylynn was no exception.

“All my workouts, be it swimming or strength training, are purely of my own volition. There are no experienced coaches to guide or supervise, so the burden is on me. Whether it's planning my workout routine in advance, correcting my posture, or improving my performance, I am on my own.”

Sometimes this takes a lot of motivation to stay with her commitment in doing regular exercises. Kaylynn admitted that, “Initially, I wanted to maintain an ideal body shape and that was most motivating,” but later she realized that she could also be very athletic. She steered herself into the expectations of professionalism. She started to time herself when swimming and keep an eye on her speed when running, while also doing research and sophisticated plannings beforehand, alternating between different forms of exercises for optimal results.

We all know that weightlifting and intense workouts take a toll on women. While doing all these intense workouts, she not only faced biological stresses but also gender stereotypes reinforced by society.

“There was a time as I entered the gym, a man glared at me from top to bottom and pointed at a series of the tiny-teeny weights (around 0.2kg), indicating for me to workout with those.”

What saddened her most, is that even her closest family opposed her.

“Initially, my family members were against weightlifting, and it took them a long time to accept that I do it as a hobby. Sometimes they were overly concerned about safety. Whenever I challenge heavier weights, they didn't approve of it. But they would never understand that it would be impossible for me to discover my full potential if I did not! Of course, I am grateful to my family for not looking down on me at first - they are pretty open-minded and never mock me doing exercises."

By being persistent and not discouraged by those stereotypical views, she tasted the sweet fruit not long after.

“The gym members started complimenting my posture and even involved me in their conversation, in which they would share expert advice on how to improve my performance. I became a part of the community by not giving up.”

Most importantly, Kaylynn recognized that gender stereotypes could be eradicated.

Through our own actions, we can slowly alter others' perceptions of us, starting with the people closest to us.

In fact, Kaylynn's persistence has changed her family's opinion of herself, bucking the stereotype that “girls should not work out.”

And finally, Kaylynn reiterated that female athletes should not look down on themselves. “While women may not have as much muscle as men or less stimulating hormones, that does not lead directly to poor performance. We have some biological trait, for instance, muscle endurance, that makes us more advantageous.”

Kaylynn concluded with a question that she posed to every girl pursuing their passion:

Why not find out what nature has bestowed upon us and maximize the benefits out of what we have, instead of whining about what we can’t change?

*Thanks to our blog editor Daniel Luo and blog writer Daisy Ding for composing this article together!