This week's challenge is going to focus on fitness again. The challenge has to do with weight-training. For a long time in my fitness journey I concentrated solely on cardio activities. I figured they gave me the best calorie-burning "bang for my buck" so I did it ALL THE TIME!! I still do a lot of cardio activities (hello, running?!?!?) because I enjoy it and it keeps my heart and mind healthy and alert. But it wasn't until I got serious about weight-training that I started to see some real changes in my body. I have more muscle definition than I ever have before and I like seeing the toned muscles starting to shine through. Don't get me wrong, I am definitely still a work in progress, but I really like the changes that have come my way both physically and mentally from the challenging work of weight lifting.
The benefits of weight-training are hard to deny...fat loss, increased energy, stronger bones, greater muscle definition, just to name a few. Of course it's a great calorie-burner too, especially the aftereffects. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you will burn from just sitting on the couch!
Image found here.I have several books about weight-training, but this is by far my favorite. It's great for giving detailed pictures and progressions of various moves and it provides lots of different exercises for each body part. It even has some programs designed in it for you to take the guesswork out of what you should be doing. It's also nice because it has exercises you can do whether you workout at home or at a gym. I think it's definitely worth the investment to pick this book up. You can find it here for a pretty good price.
Talking Point: What do you enjoy about weight-training? What is your favorite go-to move or area you enjoy working the most?
I did a vision board! I would take a picture of it and send it to you, but we can't find our camera:( It looks nice though. I cut out pictures and phrases that relate to my goal of "having a healthy relationship with food and with exercise." I have to remind myself that food is not the enemy and exercise is not my punishment for eating it. So I have pictures of women running, kickboxing, doing pilates, lifting weights, etc. along with pictures of whole grain pasta and veggies, a veggie frittata, a woman cutting up vegetables, a woman drinking water, etc. The picture of myself is one where I am in the pool playing with my kids. That's to remind me of why I'm doing this--not to be a supermodel or a superior athlete, but so that I am healthy and so that I can be the kind of active, fun mom that I want to be.
ReplyDeleteAs for the weight training challenge, this is another area in which I could definitely use improvement. I know all the benefits of weight training and increased muscle mass, but I always tend to think I don't have time to weight train. If I'm exercising, it's usually all cardio or yoga/stretching. So this morning when I went to the gym, instead of heading straight to the cardio machines, I spent the first 20 minutes in the weight room area lifting weights. I tried some new machines and it was fun. I need to somehow make a habit of that. I won't have much time for exercise the week we are in Disney (except for running the half-marathon there), but I am planning to bring my interval timer and some resistance bands. Hopefully I can fit some exercise in that week, even if it's just a few minutes in the hotel room.