I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far! I’ve been meaning to talk about this awesome bread my aunt gets from a co-op here in Arizona called Bountiful Baskets. She buys 5 loaves for a total of $10. It is seriously the best bread I’ve ever tasted. It’s very earthy, light, and sweet, and with a little nut butter, it’s perfection! Yay for delicious breakfasts after eating not so healthy food for a week!
Strength Training
I picked up a copy of this month’s Women’s Health at the airport and was happy to see an article titled “Lose Your Fear of Lifting.” It talked about the 12 reasons why we should incorporate lifting into our workout routines. All of the points made me really want to amp up my strength training and ensure that I get in at least 2 sessions a week.
12 Reasons to Strength Train
1. You’ll lose 40 percent more fat.
2. Your clothes will fit better.
3. You’ll burn more calories.
4. Your diet will improve.
5. You’ll handle stress better.
6. You’ll be happier.
7. You’ll build stronger bones.
8. You’ll get into shape faster.
9. Your heart will be healthier.
10. You’ll be way more productive.
11. You’ll live longer.
12. You’ll be smarter.
If you’ve read some of my earlier posts, you know that I am a huge Jillian Michael’s fan. I even have 4 of her DVDs. My favorite one is “No More Trouble Zones” because it is a great whole body workout, including your shoulders, triceps, biceps, inner and outer thighs, abs, glutes, hamstrings, back, and more!
Jillian’s philosophy is based on circuit training, so you do 2 sets of 5 moves that target specific muscles using 3 pound weights. I love that each move targets more than one body part (compound exercises) because you burn more calories that way. For example, she’ll have you do squats with shoulder presses, lunges with bicep curls…you get the point! It’s so fun and challenging, and the great thing about it is that I don’t have to count reps – Jillian does it for me!. I know that not everyone is really motivated to workout at home, so maybe this is not for you. But I really think that finding a way to fit in these types of workouts is important, regardless of what that looks like for you.
Personally, since I’ve started strength training more seriously, I have seen more muscle tone and a significant improvement in my running. I can run farther for a longer period of time with no pain. I really do attribute JM’s DVD to that! I know many of us absolutely love cardio, but did you know that the afterburn of strength training lasts for up to 39-48 hours after you are done exercising! If that doesn’t get you to start now, I don’t know what will!
Have you incorporated strength training into your workout schedule? If so, how do you think it’s benefited you?
Thanks so much for sharing this article. I just started doing some strength training and its intimidating to start Plus, who knows what to do with dumbbells anyway! I have seen a difference in my running though, so I guess I’ll keep plugging away. I really appreciate it!
I LOVE strength training. It’s definitely intimidating at first, but after awhile, I felt so much better. Cardio is great, but you really feel stronger when you combine the two.
Seriously? I’ve got to get myself that article!! I’ve always been afraid that it would make me bulky or thick but how can I say no to all those benefits?
nice blog! Is it new?
I think that’s the one biggest misconception out there among women but it’s not true, especially when you use low weights/high reps and your own body weight. 🙂 And yes, I just started my blog about a month ago…thanks so much!!!
I totally do not like strength training, but I do it anyways. I had a great total body workout yesterday and am feeling it today! I lift 2-3 times a week for results!
it really is shameful, but i’m horrible at strength training. i just dont’ get the same high as i do running, but the two go hand in hand so i pretty much gotta. right now i’m only doing core work, but i’d like to start a yoga routine in the morning. hey doesn’t Jillian have a yoga DVD?
Yes, I have it! It’s not your typical yoga practice though, but it sounds like it may be what you are looking for. She uses a fast-paced routine with multiple power poses to get your heart rate up, so you burn more calories than you would with “regular” yoga. I love it!
[…] And if you want to know what I think of Jillian’s other DVDs, you can read about my opinion here and […]