'Girl Hercules' Could Lift Her Entire Family At 12, And This Is What She Looks Like Now

We've all met someone who does some form of body building. These power junkies love to lift and are committed to building as much strength as humanly possible. Usually, though, body builders are well into adulthood. Have you ever met a 12-year-old girl that could lift four grown men at once? I'm guessing not. 
Some considered Varya Akulova the strongest girl in the world when she wowed the world with her superhuman strength as a child. She's now 25 years old and has gotten out of professional weight lifting. You should hear her story!

SHARE this article with your Facebook friends – this is absolutely insane.

Everyone recognizes "Little Hercules," the young boy who did bodybuilding when he was very young. But have you heard of Varya Akulova, "Girl Hercules"? 

Chances are, she was way stronger than he was. 

Here's a photo of Varya Akulova with her family when she was a child. 

The family, from Krivoy Rog, Ukraine, had no idea they had the world's strongest woman on their hands. She would start lifting weights by the age of four. 

Her parents recognized her superhuman talents quickly – and by the age of seven, Varya had already been entered into powerlifting competitions. 

At the age of eight, she set her first Guinness World Record by lifting 220 pounds when she weighed a mere 88 pounds. 

Incredible, right?

But it gets crazier...

At this point, she was able to easily lift her father on her shoulders. 

Interestingly, her father Uri was a circus strongman. The genes in this family run strong.

Here are the two getting into that circus spirit together. 

How cool would it be to lift dumbbells with your daughter, right?

They took part in several competitions together and even appeared on television talent shows over the years. 

Here is a shot of Varya lifting some friends at school.

She wasn't only incredibly strong, but also incredibly flexible...

Varya also became quite proficient in acrobatics, as you can see from this photo taken from her Facebook page. 

During this entire time period, she entered and dominated weightlifting competitions. 

Here's a shot of her holding some of these titles. 

The awards just kept coming in, too. 

There was no denying that she had honed her natural strength into something that couldn't be matched. 

Varya spent much of her childhood hanging out with the big guys, and you can tell from this picture that she was quite comfortable with it. 

She continued making appearances in shows with her father for years...

Her confidence was striking and can be seen clearly in this photo with her father. 

At just 12 years old, Varya could lift over 600 pounds, roughly four grown men at once. Here she is lifting her mother and father. 

I'm starting to get the feeling that her father Uri just wanted a free ride...

This clip out of a newspaper shows Varya and her father at another show as she started to get into her teens.

Through the years, Varya stuck with body building and strength training.  

You have to see what she looks like now!

Here she is now!

As you can see, she is definitely still working out, but has left the world of professional weight lifting and works as a physical trainer. 

She definitely still lifts. It's in her blood!

As a child, some were concerned that maybe lifting wasn't good for her health, but there have been no apparent health issues so far. 

It's great to see that she has transitioned well from her life as an entertainer into adulthood. What an inspiring individual!

Let us know what you think about her story! Leave a COMMENT on Facebook!

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Huggies Unveils New Teeny Tiny Diapers Just For Preemies

A new baby is always stressful, but it's even more so if your baby comes earlier than expected. In such a difficult time, properly-fitting diapers shouldn't have to be a worry for new parents. But until now, there wasn't a good solution for those tiniest of infants. 

When Huggies learned about the need for specially-designed preemie diapers, they quickly began the research required to do it right.

They needed a diaper that wasn't just small enough for babies under two pounds, but one that was also safe for delicate skin and non-restrictive for growth and development. 

Huggies wasn't concerned about money. Even though only 1.4% of babies per year fit the category, they wanted to ensure that all Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) had a solution for their most fragile patients. 

They worked with NICU nurses and neonatal therapists to develop the new diapers — and were so inspired by the need that, after only six months, the Huggies Little Snugglers Nano Preemie Diapers were ready to launch.

Even though they worked quickly, Huggies made sure not to cut corners. The fasteners and absorbent pad are specially-sized for preemies, and the liner and leg gathers are extra gentle for delicate skin.

These achievements in design mean that the baby can be comfortable and safe, even in a fetal tuck position. 

And they didn't just stop at the design process. Every Nano and Micro Preemie Diaper is inspected and folded by hand before being placed carefully in their boxes. 

Huggies wants to make sure that no manufacturing or packaging mistake could accidentally harm the most fragile babies. 

SHAREthis post so that all future moms and dads will know that their baby will be cared for, no matter what may come their way.

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15 Amazing Home Products That Do Double Duty

Isn't it amazing what one or two little tweaks can do? Add one thing to another, make a slight alteration, even just look at a thing from a new angle, and an ordinary object becomes completely new again. There are designers working hard behind the scenes to remake the world, and to be honest, there's more room for improvement than I ever would have suspected. The sooner these things replace the common items around the house, the better. I want to be able to take all of these for granted!

1. This outlet cover doubles as a nightlight.

2. The stairs at Robson Square in Vancouver have a ramp designed into them.

3. Because disabled people have babies too!

4. Nobody likes having to get up to change the roll.

5. A plug that's easy to unplug and glows to remind you that it's plugged in? Why isn't this on everything?

6. Finally, a way to get ALL of the toothpaste out of the tube.

7. Show of hands, how many wish they had bunk beds with built-in shelving when they were kids?

8. This piano got a beautiful second life as a desk.

9. A less obtrusive way for your cat to be the center of attention.

10. Get a glimpse into the next room through this glass doorknob!

Probably best to use with caution.

11. An all-purpose organized carrying case disguised as delicious flat bread.

A place for everything and everything in its place.

12. This bike, designed by student Kevin Scott, bends around a post to make it harder to steal.

13. The future we've all been waiting for is finally here.

14. A swing that parents and their babies can enjoy at the same time.

15. One of those times you'd buy the booze just for the bottle.

Main/Collage image via Facebook / Del Mar Company, Inc.

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Words To Remember This Year

Words are the most precious things we have as humans. 

They can teach us, connect us, and help us. Similarly, they can hurt us and hinder us... Words must be used with good intentions behind them, like these ones below.

These words all words to remember. They're the words that make the major differences in lives. They're the words that turn the page...

SHARE with your friends and family today. 

Remembering this will prevent so many unnecessary heartaches.

Don't rush yourself into a fleeting feeling. It's not worth it.

She'll be just fine, don't worry. But you'll have lost someone in your life and that's a shame. Put people first. Spend time. Pay attention.

You won't regret it. 

You're the only one setting limits on your life. Stop. 

Go forward with the confidence that you can do anything you want to set your mind to. 

We have this tendency to backtrack into the last place we felt comfortable. We hold these places in our hearts like security blankets smothering our chances of actually moving forward.

Burn the blanket. Stand up. Walk forward. 

It's all about perspective. 

What will you decide? 

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Mom Speaks Out About Daughter's Birthmark

It's every expecting parent's biggest wish: that their baby will be healthy. 

Sure, there are other hopes and dreams that come with having a baby, but this one is by far the biggest. So imagine this, then: you carry a baby for nine months, do everything you're supposed to, and you give birth to a perfectly healthy baby. Smiles all around, right?

But...

...the baby has an unusual birthmark in a spot that's bound to draw some attention.

And it does. And people? Well, you know how they are. Almost everyone wants to see, hold, and pinch the cheeks of a new baby! When they see the perfectly imperfect baby? 

They. Just. Don't. Stop.

What do you do? 

Let's look at how one mom responded to this very situation:

This is six-month-old Charlie Crenshaw. She's a healthy baby with an incredible personality already shining through her adorable smile. 

Isn't she just precious?

People hardly notice that though. Instead, mom and blogger Katie Mullis Crenshaw gets this blunt reaction: What's wrong with her face? 

She tries not to let it bother her. 

She writes: "I try, daily, to remind myself that most humans are kind and well intentioned. I don’t get angry about brief stares...

"...I understand that it’s human nature to do a double take when you see something about someone that makes them different."

All that being said, she decided it was due time to say a little more. 

After all, the spectators just won't quit. 

This is what she wants everyone to know: 

First, there is nothing "wrong" with Charlie's face.

Charlie has a big birthmark on her cheek called a capillary hemangioma.

In layman's terms, she has a strawberry mark. 

The cause and prevention are unknown. Katie says for some...

..."they can be troublesome if left untreated, because ... of their rapid growth. For example, a hemangioma that’s sitting near an airway could grow until it closed an airway or a hemangioma on an eyelid could block vision. They can also be a marker for some other more serious disorders."

But that's not the case here. In fact, Charlie's strawberry mark was deemed cosmetic.

That being said, daily medication is required to help stop the growth potential. 

Strawberry marks can clear up over time, too. For Charlie and her family, this is no big deal. 

But it's apparently quite the deal to others. Even with reassurance, they continue to question. In hopes of putting this to rest once and for all, Katie wants everyone to know this:

"We don’t need to talk about it every time you look at her. We see past the color of her face. Charlie is Charlie and it’s part of who she is. It doesn’t need to be constantly commented on, critiqued, or questioned. While I don’t mind educating curious minds, I don’t need your opinion on how it its progress or the effect it may have on her. It’s a part of her unique beauty...

...It may never disappear, and guess what? It doesn’t have to. I would much rather chat about her latest milestone achievement, her amazing smile, or how gorgeous her eyes are."

"She isn’t in pain or ill. She simply has an unusual quality about her appearance."

"The most common sentiments are 'I’m praying that it goes away.' Or 'Bless her poor little heart.' I’m constantly being asked 'When will that go away?' I’ve even heard things as harsh as 'turn her to her good side' or 'Too bad, she’s so pretty otherwise'..."

"I encourage you to, instead of praying it will disappear, pray that she grows into a confident girl who loves herself no matter what she looks like. Pray that constant comments and opinions from friends, family and strangers will end before she’s old enough to overhear them." 

"Pray that she will be a strong person ... in an age where we are bullied for any number of reasons.

"I encourage you to look past it. What if I came up to you and loudly asked “What’s wrong with your baby’s weird ____ ?” Or, “I will pray for your child that her (genetically unusual quality) goes away.” 

Just consider that. Consider that you are offering to pray away one of my daughter’s beautiful features that makes her who she is. 

Hold the pity. She’s a healthy baby girl and we are blessed. Her hemangioma is just as insignificant to who she is as a freckle on her arm. You don’t need to mention it, and you don’t need to wish it away. 

She doesn’t have a “good side” that we choose for family pictures. I don’t retouch her hemangioma in photos. Her entire face is my sweet Charlie, and it doesn’t matter what it looks like."

Want to show you support for Katie and baby Charlie? Give this post a good SHARE! 




Main and collage image via Instagram / @katiemcrenshaw

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