\n<\/p>\n
SALT LAKE CITY \u2014 Former kidnapping victim turned advocate Elizabeth Smart just opened up online about a new chapter in her life: bodybuilding competitions.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Smart posted a picture<\/a> of herself from a bodybuilding competition and said it was the fourth competition she had participated in. She said it’s understandable that some people may be shocked to see the pictures.<\/p>\n “Had you asked me if I would ever compete in a bodybuilding show a couple of years ago I would have said, ‘Absolutely not! Never in 100 years!'” she wrote.<\/p>\n Smart explained she had been too afraid to post pictures before and worried she’d be judged, taken less seriously or “somehow perceived as less than or now unworthy to continue work as an advocate for all survivors.”<\/p>\n But then she realized those feelings are “eerily familiar” for all survivors.<\/p>\n “I think it’s easy to be labeled as one thing, and honestly, that’s not me nor do I think it’s any of us, we are more than just one topic, one idea, one label,” she wrote. “I am interested in many things, and as I get older I realize more and more how important it is to make the most of today, we don’t know what tomorrow brings.”<\/p>\n Smart was kidnapped from her Salt Lake home<\/a> as a 14-year-old girl on June 5, 2002. She was missing for nine months until she was found by police in Sandy on March 12, 2003. Now, Smart advocates for programs to help other victims<\/a> of sexual assault through the Elizabeth Smart Foundation<\/a>, which aims to bring hope to victims and end the exploitation of sexual assault.<\/p>\n Determined not to reach the end of her life with any regrets, Smart said she is going after all the things she wants to do and try. And she is proud of what her body has been through, so she wants to celebrate it.<\/p>\n “My body has carried me through every worst day, every hellish grueling experience, it’s created and nurtured three beautiful children, my body has risen to every single challenge life has presented it with, and carried me through so I refuse to be ashamed of it,” she said.<\/p>\n Smart said she is proud of doing something new and pushing through new challenges, even though it was “a big change.”<\/p>\n “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 concluded.<\/p>\n The comment section on her post is filled with praise, calling her “an inspiration,” a “powerhouse,” and “a survivor who has taken her power back.” Another said, “Now your strength is visible on the outside, too.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.\n <\/p>\n