I remember feeling the buttons of my dress pants cutting into my belly button ring, which makes me cringe as I type this. First of all, are belly button piercings still a thing? And second, I guess I thought I was skinny enough to rock a belly ring at one point in time, ha! Anyway — I have a desk job and those buttons would just jab into my soul for 8 hours a day.

I decided to join this online coaching program called Petite PWR with April Whitney last December. April is like a little fitness fairy that came into my life and changed my world. I had already been following her previous program and had seen great results in strength, but my diet needed some work and this new program focuses on workouts, mindset and nutrition. Jackpot!

So who is April, anyway?

**“Anything is possible when you decide you’re ready.”**

-April Whitney
Founder of Smalletics

What do you do for work & why?

AW: I am the Founder of Smalletics.com, a fitness and nutrition company I started to support and empower the petite and short female community. As a 5’1 petite woman myself, I used to really struggle with my weight, despite being an internationally ranked athlete. I was so used to following tall girl programs that tell you to diet and do cardio, and none of it was working for me. After a lot of trial and error and multiple certifications, I ended up writing my own program, which resulted in a total breakthrough with my weight and overall body composition. Using my background in the sciences, I did some research on it and eventually learned that petite women have naturally slower metabolisms. It all made sense why the program I had created, which really focused on lifting weights and building the metabolism, was more tailored to my body type and goals. Today, that program has grown into the popular Petite PWR Program, which is helping to transform the lives of hundreds of other short women like me.

April was a competitive fencer, which is SO badass! It was nice to work with someone that just gets it. She knows what it’s like to compete and how rough the training blocks are so it was really important to me that she understood my tennis background, which she did.

How would you describe yourself in one word?

AW: Powerful 😊

I genuinely cannot think of a better word to describe her. I’m a few inches taller than her, but I always find myself looking up to her. Not only is she physically strong, but mentally, she is even stronger.

What would you say to someone who is struggling to find motivation to workout?

AW: Start wherever you are at. If that’s a 10 minute walk, that’s perfect. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing–let yourself grow into that person you want to be over time.

I think there is this misconception that we have to go all out or do nothing at all. One of my favorite quotes is “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can” by Arthur Ashe. It is always true, but it could not be more relatable than it is right now with the pandemic we are facing. With gyms being closed, we have been forced to get creative at home to maintain fitness and strength. Go for a walk, take the stairs instead of the elevator, use soup cans or wine bottles as dumbbells, think outside the box and get it done. Maybe it’s not what we would choose to be doing if the gyms were still open, but it’s better than doing nothing.

**Workout from home**

All of the workouts in the program can be done at home or in the gym. I didn’t have a kettle bell, so I made one.

In Petite PWR, there were days when I didn’t feel like I could go as hard as other days and that’s okay. Everyday is not going to be perfect and we just have to show up for ourselves. We are in this world where we are surrounded by heavily edited images and negative comments on social media, and I’m not gonna lie, it gets to me sometimes. I cant quite remember where I read this or who wrote it but we are like popcorn kernels and we all pop at different times. Don’t compare your progress to other people’s progress; be proud of the work that you put in and the results that you get out. Support others along the way but don’t waste time comparing yourself to others. Focus on yourself.

PWR — **Petite Power Program**

12 weeks of workouts, nutrition guidance & mindset coaching. I lost 9lbs the first time and 5lbs the second

Be sure to follow April on Instagram @smalletics for free workouts and all other Smalletics offerings. If you have any questions about The Petite PWR Program, feel free to reach out to me.

Sign up for Petite PWR

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