Ten Reason Women Should Lift Weights!

[Shell]

I find lifting weight shows results pretty quickly and I feel stronger!

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/w.../aa051601a.htm

[lilypad]

This is a good overview Shell. I lift weights to lose weight, and works very well if you stick with it. It is nice also not to have to struggle with the groceries as much! I have a ways to bring them in from the garage to the door.

[Shell]

Yes, Lilypad I do feel stronger after lifting weights. I have a 30 lb toddler and between keeping house, working and trying to entertain my daughter I need to be strong! I love knowing that even after my workout is done I still continure burning calories from my workout.

I also find that going to the gym helps keep my mood up. A few of my friends who have went to see a counselor have been told one of the best ways to fight the blues is to workout.

[Michele Annette]

I too lift weights and it has helped me so much to gain muscle and lose fat. I worked with a personal trainer for three months. In three months I lost three inches on my hips, an inch in each thigh and inch in each calf, one and a half inches on my arms and eight and a half (!) inches on my waist. I went from a size 14 to a size 9 This is all in three months. I lost 21 pounds of fat and gained 9 pounds of muscle. When I started I was 156 and now I'm 151. Not much difference in weight numbers, but that's not my gauge. I don't care what the scale number says as long as I keep lifting weights for weightloss and tone. I feel better than I ever have in my life!

[Shell]

That is GREAT Michele and just THREE months!!!!!! That will help to keep me going!!! Love it!

[Shell]

Michele, how many days a week did you workout and for how long?

[Michele Annette]

Thanks Shell! I'm warning you this is long! But it works if you work at it. Some days it's really fun, but some days it feels like work, but I wanted results and with results comes hard work. No more watching aerobic workouts from the couch! I know you're tough Shell!!

I had a pretty strict, but definitely adjustable schedule. I will give you the breakdown of what I already went through and how I am adjusting the workouts now, to suit my changing needs.

In the beginning of May, when I was working out at the gym (with the trainer) I would do lower body and abs one day a week for a whole hour. Stretching comes after that hour and warm up before that hour. Working as hard as you can, but not hurting yourself. Upper body and abs one other day of the week. So that's two days of weights. Three more days in that week I would do a cardio workout, for 45 minutes plus cool down, to help lose fat and work my heart and lungs. To make the cardio workouts less boring, I would choose 15 minutes on the treadmill, 15 mins on the rowing machine and 15 mins on the bike. or any other cardio activities you like. Also with the weight training my trainer taught me something different in each session, so that way it wouldn't get boring and your body wouldn't get used to the same exercises each week. You should shake up the workouts for the best results. Also I should mention that my trainer put me on a 1200 calorie diet. I was to eat small meals every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. This was one of the most important things that helped me lose weight. No waiting until I'm starving to eat, eating breakfast early in the day, not eating after 7 PM. Drinking lots of water. I don't count calories, but I did in the beginning to get me on track with what food contain what. I figured out a system that worked for me.

Another thing I did was NOT pay attention to the scale. I used the tape measure to monitor my weight loss. When I started I was 156 now I am 151. I lost a total of 21 inches!! Not much difference in numbers on the scale but if you see me in my clothes that tells the whole story! It took me a VERY LONG TIME to get over the scale numbers! I still have about 10 to 15 pounds of fat to lose so the scale will go down, but I will not monitor my weight loss by the scale.

I did this for three months (May10th-August 12th) I would have paid another $600 for another 12 sessions, along with the gym membership if I could afford it. It was worth the money at the time for me, but now money is tight and I needed to quit the gym, but not my exercise routine. I need to keep going, so I have Plan "B" going now...

I should also note that my trainer taught me all of my weight techniques with hand weights and dumbbells. We hardly used any machines for the weight workouts. This was important to me because I am now setting up a workout area in my home. I have a mat, hand weights, with the pounds that I use most often in the gym, resistance bands, body bars and fitness ball. I accumulated these things over time and found that I can buy all of the supplies I need for what it cost me for the gym membership for two months ($116). I also have to up my weight workouts to three days a week instead of two because my body is getting used to what I have been doing and wants to hold on to the extra weight, plus I need more toning.

For cardio now I am walking to and from work. 2.6 miles each direction, which takes me 45 minutes there and back. That is plenty of cardio and it helps me save on fuel and wear and tear on my car.

So now I am doing cardio three to five times a week (some days I need the car to run errand on lunch. I will not walk those days) and weights at home three times a week. I hope to lose 15 more pounds of fat and gain valuable muscle. I am in a size 9/10 now, but for my frame and height my body will look good in a 6 to 8 depending how the clothes fit. Again I am only using the size as a guide and not as the end all be all number of numbers. You just need to look at the important ones...body fat percentage vs. lean body mass. I have a Tanita body fat percentage scale at home to help me with the real numbers that I'm looking at. www.tanita.com

Before you start be sure to get a physical with your doctor to be sure you are in good health. What I do works for me and everyone is different. Use common sense, work at your own pace and start slowly. I am only telling you my own experience.

Phew, I talk too much! I hope that helps some!

[Shell]

Thanks for taking the time to share that with me. How inspiring! If you don't mind me asking, how tall are you?

What kind of 1200 calorie menu where you on?

Thanks so much for all of your valuable input!

[Michele Annette]

Shell, I just came to add one more thing that I had forgot which is also very important to help with the workouts.

As soon as you are done with your weightlifting be sure to eat some protien no later than 1/2 hour after your workout. You will most likely not be hungry but you need to eat because if you weight too long, the hour workout you just did just negated itself. You need fuel to rebuild your muscles you just worked out. Also don't eat anything an hour and a half before any weight lifting or cardio. Especially cardio as your body looks to your fat reserves for fueling your workout. Again this is what I have to do for my body needs. Check with a professional for your needs.

I am 5' 2.5" with a very curvy figure. I have large hips and a small waist.

As far a my calories are concerned I choose whole foods without refind sugar and have treats (ice cream, cheese, etc.) every once in a while. An average day for me looks like this:

8:30 coffee with 1/2 Cup of skim milk
1 cup shredded wheat with 1C. skim milk and 1 piece of fruit.

11:00 1 cup steamed green beans with FF Italian dressing. 1 Cup of homeade tuna pasta salad.

1:30 1 cup vegetable soup with 1 cup steamed broccoli.

4:00 6 oz. Fat free yogurt with 11 almonds

6:30 3 oz chicken breast with 1 small bakes sweet potato, toss salad with olive oil and vinegar dressing.

My meals vary greatly. I also make lots of casseroles for dinner and choose a veggie or salad to go with it.

If my weight work out is at Noon, I stop eating at 10:30 and eat a luna bar or handful of nuts just after my workout. Then an hour later eat my regular lunch. Also I don't eat at the same times everyday. I may eat breakfast at 7:30 or 8:00 or 9:00, but whenever I start eating I count 2 and a half hours from the beginning time to eat my next meal. This keeps me from becoming too hungry and I need to keep and eye on the clock or else five hours will go by and I havn't eaten. My body doesn't lose weight this way, I actually gain weight by waiting to eat so long inbetween or skipping meals. If I have a treat, such as an ice cream cone out, I will replace one of my mini meals with it. No big deal. I just enjoy it and continue to eat healthy. Some days are not perfect and are not healthy. I don't dwell I just keep on going. I also took on the Motto that if I eat clean 80% of the time I can eat whatever I want the other 20% of the time. That works for me too as it keep me from deprivation and bingeing.

I find that the more I truly understand what I'm doing for my body and how it actually works the more I want to do the "right" thing more often.

Hope that helps a bit more.

[Michele Annette]

Sorry with all the spelling errors in that last post...forgot to proof read.

[Shell]

Oh thanks again. I didn't know it was important to eat right after a workout. What kind of snack did you have after?

[Michele Annette]

Right after my workout (after my shower, but in the car ) I would eat something that I brought in my purse. A half an hour isn't much time so you need to get it in. Choose something higher in protien. If you choose to eat carbs, eat protien with it. I would choose one item from these as my snack:

*1/4 C. roasted, unsalted almonds or peanuts
*1 string cheese (park skim)
*1 Luna bar
*6 oz fat free yogurt
*1/2 peanut butter sandwich

This is just enough to start the muscle building process until you get to your next meal. I eat my next mini meal between a half an hour to an hour from my post workout snack.

[Shell]

That is really good to know!

[Michele Annette]

I hope it helps you Shell. The reason I signed up with a personal trainer to begin with is because I wanted to learn the correct way of losing weight, lifting weights without fad diets and to learn to have fun doing it. I didn't think that was possible, but I was willing to show myself a different picture. I just made myself try it and I was kicking and screaming the whole time on the first day, but then it got a lot better.

I have been dieting since I was 15. I have been on Weight Watchers officially 7 times. I am sick of looking at the scale every day/week and was sick of not getting results at the gym on my own. I was so food focused everyday it was driving me insane! I decided I needed to do something different. I was ready to quit again. So I decided to sign up with the trainer and learn as much as I could and then carry it forward and use it as a tool to help myself. I didn't want to spend the money, but I knew it would really help me and I was at my last straw! I wanted to be not only fit, but I wanted to look better and feel better. I would have never believed the results if I hadn't gone through the process. It's amazing how time and chemistry play such an important role. I used to think that exercise was a chore and I would avoid it at all costs. I didn't realize that I was really hurting myself by doing that. If I stopped lifting weights today and didn't pick them up for a long time I would lose almost all the muscle I've gained in about four weeks. That's how fast it happens. I need to keep up with what I have and want to build more. I am very far from perfect looking, but I look better than I did. I wanted to change and change is so hard, but if you want it bad enough you can find your way through the excuses, just like anything else in life.