If you know me well, you know I love going to the gym, and I absolutely hate doing cardio. I still make the excuse that the altitude makes it hard for me to run, and I’ve been in Colorado for well over a year. I applaud those who can run miles on end.
Then what do I do at the gym, you may ask.
No, I don’t play racquetball, nor will you see me in the squash court. You can catch me lifting weights with the guys in the weight room. And I do mean guys.
Girls can usually be found climbing up a StairMaster, or sliding along on an elliptical. Though I still hop on a cardio machine once in a while, I definitely look miserable doing so. Ladies, I’m writing here to tell you something that may change everything:
You don’t have to run miles to break a sweat and burn calories.
I know what you’re thinking, but weightlifting will not make you look like a female John Cena. I know this from experience, and I’m pretty positive I do not look like a professional male wrestler.
I’ve always been athletic, and after years of playing volleyball competitively, I missed the feeling of accomplishment after a hard practice. My freshman year of college, my time in the gym was spent stomping on the StairMaster for half an hour. Though I didn’t gain the dreaded freshmen fifteen, I could tell all the muscle I had gained from sports was going away. The next summer, I discovered what lifting weights could do.
I began to actually see a difference in my body without having to do cardio five days a week. Lifting weights has a huge affect on fat loss and it increases your metabolism. I find that I can eat way more without seeing an unwanted change in my body. Lifting weights has helped with my confidence, and as women, we can be strong mentally and emotionally, but we should also be strong physically.
If you’re intimidated to start weightlifting on your own because you don’t really know what to do, ask a friend to help you. The Rec Center also has personal trainers you can use.