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Sports

Lift to Lose — Part 1 of 2

Make sure your workout goes beyond the treadmill and into the weight room!

Picture this: You have just finished your grocery shopping, and you have both your children in one of those ridiculous “car carts” that are nearly impossible to maneuver. After going through the checkout, you examine your bags and try to figure out if you will be able to carry all the bags, your purse (if you have one of those) and the child who tends to run off the second you set him down, while holding the hand of your other child, just so that you will not have to take that stupid cart back to your car. Can you do it?

Next scenario: It is moving day. The boxes are all packed, and you just need to load the moving truck. Box after box is carried to the truck and furniture is being loaded. Are you able to complete the task without injuring yourself?

It never ceases to amaze me that some people are hesitant to lift weights. The demands placed on our bodies in our day-to-day routines are fairly great and most of the time require more effort than walking or jogging in a straight line. I watch some folks at the gym who are riding the stationary bikes or mindlessly moving through the motions on the elliptical machines while they flip the pages of the latest People magazine. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy catching up on celebrity gossip in People every once in awhile just as much as the next person. Occasionally a mindless grind on a piece of cardio equipment is just what I need to decompress after a busy day. There is nothing wrong with that, once in awhile.

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However, to build a fit, strong body that is much more capable of handling the demands of life, you must lift weights. I am not talking about the little pink dumbbells, either! Many women, and surprisingly enough, some men, avoid lifting heavier weights because they are afraid of “bulking up” or “getting too big.” They think that by lifting heavier weights they will spontaneously grow large muscles and look like a body builder. Let me make this very clear: to achieve the physique of a body builder, it takes hours of very heavy lifting, tons of calories and many different, shall we say, supplements, to look like a body builder.

If you are serious about changing the look of your body and becoming more fit, you will need to lift weights. To achieve definition in your muscles you have to lift enough weight to actually build muscle. By increasing the amount of muscle you have on your body, you will increase your metabolism. Muscle is metabolically more active than fat. In other words, it takes more calories to sustain muscle tissue. You will burn more calories even at rest if you have more muscle. Not only that, but your bones will be stronger! There really is no reason to avoid lifting weights.

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Are you convinced? Scenario #1 in this article is very personal to me. It’s my story. I have two wonderful boys who are busy and active and who need a mom that can be active with them. Perhaps you do not have children, or your children are older and beyond being lifted and carried around. However, in the course of your day if you have to pick up anything heavier than your grande latte, I recommend you pay close attention to next week’s article. In it I will have some specific strength training exercises that can get you started on your way to a more fit body.

Quit avoiding the weight room and start lifting to lose!

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