Williams in 2009
It's difficult to think of tennis superstar Serena Williams ever needing to get in shape after seeing her strong, powerful body on the court, but since January she's taken a whole new approach to fitness, and it shows. She graces the pages of the August issue of Harper's Bazaar looking nothing short of hot.
"I wanted to get really fit," she told Bazaar. "I wanted to lose some weight. So I've been doing Pilates and yoga, trying to lean out my body so I won't be bulky."
She said she's gone from a size 12 to a 10 and her workouts include Pilates, running, strength training, and hitting tennis balls, but she refuses to diet.
"I don't even know the D word," she said, adding that when she trains she sticks to smaller portions and lots of grilled or baked chicken and fish and steamed vegetables. "All I know is that in 10 years, I don't want to be as wide as this couch."
She also spoke of growing up with her sister Venus and how she has worked through her body envy over the years.
"I was 23 when I realized that I wasn't Venus. She's totally different," she said. "I'm super-curvy. I have big boobs and this massive butt. She's tall and she's like a model and she fits everything. I was growing up, wanting to be her, wanting to look like her, and I was always fitting in her clothes, but then one day I couldn't. But it's fine. Now I'm obviously good, but it's a weird thing."
And while she complains that her arms are little "too fit," she seems to be in a great place as far as her body image and acceptance go.
"Since I don't look like every other girl, it takes a while to be okay with that. To be different. But different is good."
Good indeed, especially when that different body has allowed her to become a tennis legend.
Has your body image evolved over the years like Serena's has? And do you have a sibling with a very different body type than yours?
Image via burntfilm/Flickr
