Elizabeth Smart, 38, has embraced a new calling — competitive bodybuilding — and shared photos of herself posing at a recent event.
On Instagram, Smart posted a photo on stage at the bodybuilding competition, writing that the picture “probably shocked many of you.”
Smart said that she was initially hesitant to go public with this development due to fears of being judged.
“I was too afraid to post it before. Worried that I would be judged, not taken seriously, somehow perceived as less than or now unworthy to continue work as an advocate for all survivors,” Smart wrote in the post.
She explained that she refuses to be ashamed after surviving grueling experiences and nurturing three children.
“I refuse to feel embarrassed about trying something new and am embracing my chance at life to the absolute fullest I can. I only hope that we all find the courage to chase new experiences, goals, bettering ourselves, and most importantly happiness,” Smart continued.
The child safety advocate took part in the Wasatch Warrior bodybuilding and fitness competition on April 17 and 18 in Utah, which marked the fourth bodybuilding event she has entered, according to People magazine.
The author first gained national attention as an abduction survivor after being rescued in 2003 following a nine-month disappearance at age 14, according to TODAY.
