5 Women athletes who inspire!

What influences you depends on what you surround yourself by, and that includes the people, their stories and positive tales of success. If you are looking for inspiration to give you a motivational boost to get fit or reach a fitness goal, then you could find power-up with the sporting feats of some amazing female athletes.

Paula Radcliffe

With her sights set on the London Marathon in 2015, despite having to pull out of the 2012 Olympics because of an injury, Paula Radcliffe is unstoppable, and unbeatable it seems. 10 years ago last month, the British long-distance runner set the women's world record time for a marathon and her time of 2:15:25 still stands. She's won the London Marathon three times as well as the New York Marathon and won the Chicago Marathon once. When the going gets tough she just keeps on going!

Shawn Johnson

She has been inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame and even has her own day named after her in Iowa; and two years ago this multi-medal winning gymnast retired at the grand old age of 20! Shawn Johnson is the epitome of a go-getter who didn't let the fact that she was only 16 at the time deter her from winning a gold medal for the balance beam at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In China she also won three silver medals for floor exercise, individual all-round competition, and the women's team competition. A year later she was a winner on TV's Dancing with the Stars too; all this before going off to college!

Marta Vieira da Silva

Being named FIFA World Player of the year five consecutive times is impressive, as is being one of the best soccer players in the world. But what's perhaps a little different about the renowned Brazilian soccer ace is that this striker is a 'she’. Marta Vieira da Silva is one of the top women goalscorers and has recently been playing for Tyreso FF in Sweden where in 2012 she won her fifth league winner's medal. She has also served as an ambassador for the 2014 FIFA Men's World Cup which starts next month.

Yani Tseng

Despite a challenging couple of years with no real wins, this US-based Taiwanese pro golfer will go down in history. By 23 Yani Tseng had already featured on Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012" list. She has been at the top of the Women's World Golf Rankings, for nearly two years from 2011 and is the youngest male or female to win the five majors. She has been playing since the age of six and is just a few points shy of being inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Danica Patrick

Challenging one of the most male-orientated sports there is, Danica Patrick is a NASCAR racing driver who is not only successful but at the top of her sport. At the Daytona 500 she finished eighth and achieved the best finish for a female driver. In the 2008 Indy Japan 3000 she broke a new record by becoming the only woman ever to claim victory in an IndyCar race history. Just last year she won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole, becoming the first female driver to do so. She races ahead to show other women what they can do even if no woman has done so before.

As well as being inspired by other women, why not become your own inspiration and start making a difference in your life. If you're not already part of a fitness success story then get in touch.