Fitness: Get Moving!

When I first started my journey towards getting healthy, I did not like working out.  I didn't like it because it was hard for me!  After not excercising much for a year, I was really out of shape!  Even rollerblading was difficult for me.  I really had to push through, and now, a couple year later, I love to work out hard, and I feel weird if I 'skip' a workout day. 

I had to start slow.  Don't fly out of the gates with sprints!  We got a gym membership, and I started with 20 min. of jogging/walking on the treadmill, and then I did some weight training.  As I progressed and got in better shape, I increased the intensity of my workouts.  We haven't had a gym membership for the past few years, so now we workout at home. I do high intensity cardio and heavy lifting.

One thing I will say to women, is don't be afraid of lifting heavy!  Many women are stuck in the "run on the treadmill" cardio mode, and don't touch the weights, thinking that weights are for men.  They're so afraid of getting 'bulky' and 'looking like a man,' but really miss out on the benefits of weight training.  Well, it is simply impossible for a women to get big unless they are taking steroids and eating like a horse!  Lifting heavy (lifting to failure) actually burns more calories than cardio does!  That should be motivation enough!  Also, when you build muscle, that muscle burns more calories, thus increasing your metabolism.  Muscle is what you want to be building, because it will help you loose the fat, keep it off, and look lean and toned.

I do best when I can follow a routine.  I like to know what I am supposed to do each day instead of just making something up.  Bodybuilding.com has a ton of great programs!  It is an awesome free resource for everything fitness related. Both Dan and I have done a few fitness programs from that website with great success.  We have also completed the P90X DVD workout series.  That is a great at-home workout program, and I would definitely recommend it.   They are challenging and fun workouts, and we both enjoyed them a lot.  Also, we've just recently started doing some Insanity workouts.  The name says it all, they are insane!  We have never sweat as much with any workout as we have with these.

So really, just find something you enjoy doing.  If you don't like going to the gym (like me) or can't afford the membership, find an at home workout program and buy some equipment for at home. Keep a balance of cardio AND weight training.  Both are important in a healthy lifestyle. If you don't enjoy working out, start small, and work your way up, and hopefully you'll come to enjoy it as you see the results you're getting! 

Remember, if you're not putting the right stuff in your body, the workouts aren't going to give you the results you are looking for!  Diet is 80% of weight loss, so don't think you can get away with just working out!