Should I lift?

I'm going to make this one simple. Fitness is such a small part of health and wellness but it is still very important. And this post is more or less geared to women. I doubt any men read this anyway.

Can you relate to this?

And you really don't want to do this on the floor at the gym? 

The thing is, I was terrified before I started weightlifting but knew I really wanted to try it. I  just felt like that was what my body was supposed to do. And I don't mean lifting five to ten pound dumbell weights. Thanks to my personal trainer and my pal DB, I started doing Olympic style weight lifting. I like to research things a bit before I do anything, as should you, so I had some questions already figured out before I started out.

Like...

If I lift heavy, will I bulk up? No, not as a female and especially not if you aren't eating more calories than you are burning. Women don't have even close to the same amount of testosterone as men. 

What makes lifting different than cardio/zumba/fivepounddumbells? Just to name a few

• Makes your bones healthy.
• Keeps your metabolism higher post workout than cardio does.
• Better muscle definition. (I'm not skinny by any stretch of the imagination but my biceps, calves, and quads are kickin.)
• Lifting heavy weight improves functional strength in your everyday life. BAM.

Do women need to train differently then men? No. Short and sweet.

 

What if I'm pregnant? Fine, you win. Kind of. You can lift if that is what you did pre-pregnancy and even then you need to be cautious. But if you are 17 weeks pregnant with my future niece or nephew (not pointing fingers but this is for you Em), now is not that time to drink the Crossfit Kool-Aid. 

Am I saying that this is the only avenue to fitness? No. I just want any girl to feel empowered to try something new, especially something that could maybe make their life healthier. I love the feeling when I see guys in the weight room make a couple extra trips to the water fountain as an excuse to see if I can actually throw that much weight around. I love being strong. I've had wavering self esteem for most of my life but this makes me feel so capable. This is the confidence that lasts after makeup comes off, your cute outfit goes into the laundry, and you are rocking your crappy pajamas that you meant to get rid of 3 clothing binges okay. 

Where do I begin?

A) Ask the staff members at your gym. Even if they aren't a certified personal trainer, they can point you in the right direction. 

B) www.bodybuilding.com- nuff said.

C) Youtube some of the major lifts like bench press, deadlift, back squat, front squat, power clean, push press. 

But mostly I want you to take care of your body, mind and soul. 

If you become able to do this though, you go Glenn Coco.