Strength and Grace

I attended my first roller derby practice last weekend. Near the end of practice we had to remove our skates and use them as weights for an upper body workout. This involved mostly isometric exercises for the shoulders and biceps. I felt the familiar muscle burn and I worked up a small sweat.

I didn't think about it again until the next night at a league meeting. I overheard a few girls talking about how sore their arms were and I realized that I wasn't the least bit sore. I sipped quietly on my Shakeology and patted myself on the back for making weightlifting an essential part of my life.

It still shocks me how many women don't lift weights. Weightlifting is not just for men or elite athletes - it is for YOU!

Let's take a few minutes to review the lamest statement ever uttered from a woman's mouth: "I don't want to bulk up". When a woman says these words, she is only broadcasting her ignorance about the female body. Women are not physically capable of accomplishing man-size muscles without the help of illegal substances. It is a fact of nature, ladies. Learn it.

I am going to try to tell you why you should lift weights. Sadly, until you do it, you just won't get it. It's a combination of strength and grace that you won't understand until you experience it.

- You will be stronger. You can lift your children higher and longer, carry more groceries, and move furniture without help.

- You will be more resilient to injuries from routine activities. You may even be able to rehabilitate an old injury. I have an old shoulder injury that returns every time I stop lifting weights. When I'm sticking to my regular lifting program, it doesn't bother me at all.

- You burn more calories. Lifting weights increases your lean muscle mass, which in turn increases your resting metabolism. This means you can eat more! Who doesn't want to eat more?

- You decrease your risk of osteoporosis, back pain, and arthritis. Weight training increases bone density, builds stronger connective tissues, and increases joint stability.

- You improve your mental health. Check out this article on fighting depression with weight training. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fighting_depression.htm

- You improve your athletic performance, whether you are a runner or a derby girl. Stronger legs carry you faster and longer. A stronger core makes you better at everything!

- Your clothes get smaller. Your triceps stop jiggling. Your knees look like knees instead of blobs. Shopping for bathing suits is fun.

If you are ready to add this crucial activity to your life, here's a few easy ways to get started.

- Hire a personal trainer for a few months until you learn proper form and technique. Then you can decide to continue your lifting program at the gym or transition to a home program.

- Alternatively, ask a weight-lifting friend to help you get started. (Pick me, pick me!)

- Invest in a home workout program that focuses on weightlifting. I recommend ChaLEAN Extreme (or P90X if you already have experience with weights). Both programs offer the resistance band alternative if you are not ready to invest in home weights.

Stop wasting your time on old-school methods like "low weights, high repetitions". Lift weights with intensity, push yourself, and reshape your body. Combine this with a healthy diet and cardiovascular training, and you will be unstoppable.

Would you do it for your children?

What if your children's health and longevity depended on your workout today? Would you do it? I'll bet you would. You would find the time no matter how busy your schedule or how tired you were.

Now think back to when you said you would never be like your parents. How has that worked out for you?

Your children's health and longevity DOES depend on your workout today. By making a commitment to exercise and eating a healthy diet, you are showing them the way to a healthier lifestyle. When they reach your age, they won't be struggling to exercise or eat right because they will have done it their entire lives. They will have watched you do it and experienced the transformation from dud to stud with you. They will see you having more energy, being happier, and they'll see your face light up when you realize you've just done something with ease that used to be difficult. Health and fitness will become a fundamental quality to them. Wouldn't you like to help them avoid all the bad habits you've acquired? Wouldn't it be easier for you to get in shape today if your parents had done the same for you?

Make the commitment today to change your life and impact your children's future. When they grow up, they'll say "Thanks mom and dad for setting such a great example for me. I couldn't have gotten that college athletic scholarship without it!"

Support Systems Suck...

...until you find the right one for you.

It’s taken me ten years to find a group where I belong. I’m a private person. I tend to keep things to myself and I certainly don’t want to share my struggles with a bunch of people, strangers or not. Motivators and pushers have never done much for me. I can push myself, but someone saying “come on, you can do it” is just annoying.

If you read any fitness magazine, they’ll tell you to share your goals with friends, family, and even coworkers. I found that when I shared my goal (get that P90X body back) they would try to talk me out of it. It’s not that they actively tried to deter my efforts, they just didn’t provide a positive environment for me to share my successes and failures. If I said I wanted to drop a few pounds (and those of you with abs know the difference one pound of belly fat can make) they would say I was a “rail”, “stick”, or one my favorites, “zipper with boobs”. If I couldn't attend an impromptu social event because I hadn't yet worked out that day, my "friends" would say I didn't need to work out. If I turned down a dessert because I had already blown through my calories for the day, they would say "calories schmalories". The ultimate insult came at my wedding, when I was in the best shape of my life and I was showing off my newly acquired abs. My father told me I was "wasting away". What kind of support system is that?

I became frustrated that those around me didn’t seem to want me to succeed. I continued to workout but I stopped sharing my experiences with them. I became a fitness hermit. I made progress and felt great, but it was a lonely journey. As I began to regain my health and fitness, I became bitter that my family, friends, and coworkers hadn’t made similar progress. I wondered how they could have such low standards for themselves.

My perspective changed recently. I ran into a girlfriend in the store one evening and we chatted for a few minutes about fitness. I knew she owned P90X but hadn't yet completed it. She had started a fitness journal and we parted with the plan that she would show it to me weekly. She sent me an email the following day that read,

“I really want to do this for real this time and it will be good to have someone that I have to hold myself accountable to. I have adopted a new mantra, WWSD. So far it worked, I was in the store the other day and came upon my favorite snack food and asked myself what would Sarah do? And I walked away.”

I was honored to have made such a huge impact in her life with just a short conversation. After more than ten years of experimenting with diets and fitness programs, I have found the things that work for me. Online support groups and blogs were not in that category, yet my friend inspired me to step out of my comfort zone. Now I'm surrounding myself (albeit virtually) with like-minded people. I am finding myself passionate about fitness again and my buddies at teambeachbody are feeding the fire. It is absolutely amazing to connect with a group of people with a common goal. They are my new support system and I think this time, I've found the right one.

The next time you are confronted with a friend trying to improve their health, support them, join them, or get out of the way. The last thing they need is another obstacle.

For you P90X'ers out there, keep pushing play!