Much easier

As I hoisted my old dog into the back of my Xterra; I realized that it is becoming much easier.  Lifting the 5 gallon water bottles onto the cooler is easier; as is pretty much anything requiring strength, and I'm loving it.  Afraid of getting strong?  Don't be, it's a glorious thing.  Plus, the wonderful about it is that you have complete control of just how strong you get.  You can get strong and stay strong or you can continue to get stronger; it is all up to you.  But getting strong is most definitely the way to go. 

Movement becomes easier.  Just think about it, if you have no muscle tone; movement is difficult for the little muscle that you have.  Build and strengthen those muscles and presto, ease of movement.  It is really as simple as that.  I never want to be that woman who can't lift the other end of the sofa.  Being strong makes you so much more self sufficient; you don't have to wait around for a big strong man to lift what you need lifting. 

As we age we get pains; not all huge but those nagging aches can plague you.  Much of it comes from joints so it is imperative to build the muscles around the joints to ensure better usage and protection.  Lifting and stretching does that for you.  I saw a woman coming out of a shop yesterday; she looked to be about mid 40s.  She was thin and very out of shape.  You probably could have knocked her down with a feather, sad.  Many people think that thin is the way to go; when in fact we should be striving for fit and strong.  Lift, make life easier for yourself. 

Are you taking care of your vessel?

 

Great fuel.

What vessel you ask?  Your life vessel, your body, you.  It's funny, I was driving home the other day and the whole idea of not taking care of our body crossed my mind.  We take for granted that the body that haul our life around is just going to keep working great for us.  So many people have horrible diets (the food we eat, not a weight loss plan) and expect to feel great and keep on ticking.  We demand a lot from our body and often do not offer the proper fuel needed for it to perform.  Do you think about the food you eat?

I love food, yep, LOVE IT.  I have, over the years learned what works best for me.  A diet that I can stick to easily and makes me feel great.  I eat a mostly primal diet and I feel great.  When I was younger I had huge issues with hypoglycemia which was something that I had to be constantly aware of.  Not now, I can't tell you the last time that I had a blood sugar drop.  When I eat a primal diet and stick to it I never have a problem.  If I'm stupid and eat a donut with nothing else for breakfast then I can guarantee that I'll have a problem. 

Mark's Daily Apple - a great healthy blog read.

Our bodies need fuel; that means that we need to be very particular about what we put in it.  The better fuel we put in; the better our body is going to run for us.  If we have big demands like extreme exercising or lifting then eating properly is essential.  Eating bad food is rampant these days; fast life, fast eating and stuffing anything in to quench hunger.  Trying to get people to focus on eating better is hard.  Eating bad foods can become a way of life and eating anything green or healthy is not going to happen. 

When we put food into our body it is quickly processed and the nutrients are extracted for our body to use.  If we put food in our body that contains no real nutrients (processed food) then it passes through; without ever doing any good other than keep us from being hungry.  So eating a diet of nutrient rich food is the best bet to get optimal nutrition.  That means choosing real food that is not processed.  Real food, the kind that is found on the perimeter of the grocery store. 

When you are preparing to eat, think; are you offering your body the nutrition that it needs?  Or are you simply putting nutrient lacking food in your mouth to satisfy a craving?  Think before you eat.  Eating better is a step by step process just like getting into lifting and exercising.  One step at a time, can have a snowball effect.  The better you eat, the better you feel and you start to really pay attention to what you are eating.  That is a great thing.  Getting fit involves activity and fuel.  What type of fuel do you give your vessel?

Nothing, no steam

Today's work out was a bust.  Well not completely, I was there at least and I did work out.  I pulled on my gym clothes, even though I wasn't feel'n it.  Hauled my butt to the gym and from there it went downhill.  I did my workout but not with gusto or anything that resembled energy.  Sometimes it just is not there; for some reason the energy needed to have an ahggggggg workout just does not come.  BUT, you still workout; you never waste a visit to the gym.  Tomorrow is my day off so today I had to work.  I switched it up quite a bit; feeling like maybe I was just in the old boredom zone.  It didn't help.

I probably resembled a slug working out; with no spring in my step or power behind my lifts.  A slug working out, hmmmmm.  Each and everyday begins anew; as such they unravel differently.  So today is a not my most energetic.  But I still got myself there, did what I had to and got out.  A slug workout is better than no workout.  That is most definite.

The problem was not a lack of desire; the energy needed to workout and lift was just missing.  There are days when I don't want to go to the gym; they range from the "I don't feel like it" days; to "I DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE GYM," days.  For the later, I don't go.  Going to the gym on such a negative day is counter productive.  I find that everything and everyone bothers me while I'm there.  The whole time I focus on not wanting to be there instead of feeling great about getting myself to the gym. It happens to most people from time to time.  But you work through it; give yourself a break and get back at it.

As far as days when you get yourself to the gym but realize you are lacking energy?  Well, you work out; you do the best you can.  Even a slow and lack luster work out every now and then is better than sitting at home on your butt.  Having the energy to do a power packed workout is great; I love days when I feel like I could work out for hours.  But when you are dealt with the no energy day, you deal.  It just makes those days when you do have great energy feel even better. 

See you at the gym. 

Steps, it's all about steps (motivation to get going)

An artist I am not.  :) 

You want to lift, at least you are thinking about it, right?  The whole idea of exercising should be dealt with in steps.  The first step is thinking about getting in shape, fit and healthy.  The next step is to get started; come on, you can do it.  Take the leap, go for it; you will not regret it.  There are many steps to go through.  You may think twice about the whole idea of getting into shape on day one at the gym.  But don't look back, just keep moving forwards and onto the next step.

The next step is a big one; making it routine, working out needs to become part of your life.  Exercising should not be thought of as a quick fix, like the grapefruit diet or something crazy like that.  Working out is a life long commitment; I know it seems daunting doesn't it.  I often think to myself "wow, I have to keep doing this forever."  There will be bumps along the way; but if you know that, you will be able to deal with them.  There will be days when you feel like "this is too much work," or "I'm tired."   Let yourself take a break; need a week or two off?  Then take it.

One of the biggest steps that you may notice on your journey is when you start to see results.  They may be small at first; you will probably feel the results before seeing them.  When you are well into your lifting routine you will feel stronger; you will be stronger.  There will be a lot of things that you can do now that you might not have been able to do not so long ago.  Things like carrying a big bag of groceries, moving furniture or even standing for a certain length of time.  Then you will see the changes in your body, talk about motivation.  Your waist will be getting smaller; you will start to see definition where there was none before.  This visual step is a great one to keep you going and being happy about getting into shape.

Making time for exercise seems drastic when there is none in your life.  But once you decide to lift, to become strong; it can be the one snowflake that causes the snowball effect in your life.  Getting into shape starts to become more important, as it should be.  When you start to see such a transition in your body; you may become interested in general health.  Perhaps you take a good look at your diet as the next step (as in what you eat, not a weight loss word) and what you put in your mouth as far as fuel for your body to run on.   The next step might be that you are eating a better diet; one that fuels your body instead of just empty calories.

The voyage is yours, I have been through many ups and downs on my own journey.  I feel now that I am on a much clearer path; it is time to get after it.  There are most definitely road blocks; they can come in all sizes but if you have a goal and the drive you will knock them down as they arrive.  This is your life and your body, make it the best that it can be.  After all it's all you've got.

The path of least resistance

Such a waste of time.  There are several people at my gym who are religiously there but not doing a whole lot.  I shake my head wondering why?  Okay, I get the whole social aspect for some folks but really, if you want some results you have to work.  Today as I was working out my triceps I watched a guy trying to look like he was really working hard.  Problem is he was hovering in the 'path of least resistance.'  It is common, people who want to look like they are working out.  That 'least resistance' spot is different for each exercise but commonly hits right at the mid point.  That point where your muscle goes from stretched out to contracting.  Those who want to look like they are doing, tend to hover there.

Sure you can pick up big weights and keep your movement in the 2"-5" easy zone, but why bother?  All you are doing is wasting time.  To build muscle you have to use your muscle.  You need to pay close attention to form and complete extension.  If a weight is too heavy to be able to complete the full range of motion then IT'S TOO HEAVY.  Put it down and pick up a weight that is doable.  A weight that you can actually lift.  Just because you pick up a big weight does not mean that you have big muscles; nor does it mean that you can even truly lift that weight. 

Keeping a full range of motion when lifting weights is important for muscle growth.  Muscle growth protects joints.  Not only for when you want to lift; but for when you want to do anything.  So grabbing hold of the cables and tugging them 3-6" is going to do nothing but waste time. Tiny little movements do not add up to work; they are sort of the cheaters or fakers way of feeling like they are working out.  Cheating or faking it really doesn't make sense when you are at the gym to work out to get fit and healthy.  It's all about you, no one else. 

We all need to push ourselves to achieve goals.  It is the same when working out; if it's really easy then nothing is being accomplished.  Ever see someone on an elliptical who looks like the machine is taking them for a ride?  Well it is and they are getting only a fraction of what they could be getting if they focused on movement rather than riding the elliptical.  Full range motion movements are hard; typically you need to lower your weights when you are doing it right.  By using every muscle in your arms, legs, stomach or wherever you are building true strength that will serve you well. 

The only time that you might not do a full range motion is when you are upping your weights.  Often you have to do half or quarter range with a heavier weight to start.  But, that range is not in the path of least resistance range; no, it is in the most effective, muscle building zone.  Stay out of the least resistance zone and spend your time working hard, working smart and and getting results. 

Title change

I changed the title as you can see.  I had a lot of people saying that they were very interested in this blog but they weren't 50.  After much consideration I decided to change the title to encompass all ladies.  Sure guys can read as well, if they like.  But I'm focusing on getting you, the ladies lifting.  So Lift Ladies is the general theme of the blog.  So are you lifting?  No?  Yes?  Thinking about it? 

Lifting is good for everyone.  From teenage girls (when I started) to yes; over 50, 60, 70 and 80 ladies.  What lifting does, is make you stronger. As we age we lose muscle mass and the only way to combat that is to build more.  The more muscle you have the better your joints can deal with age.  No muscle?  Your joints will take the brunt of everything thrown their way.  Don't be afraid to start lifting; no matter how old you are you can lift.  You may have to start with a 2lb weight and only a few repetitions but you'll be lifting.  Once you get strong enough to move on past that 2 lbs. you'll soar and you'll be feeling amazing.

You will not end up looking like a female version of The Incredible Hulk.  Not unless you want to look like that of course.  There are woman who desire that appearance and so they take muscle growth enhancement drugs and soon resemble a man.  This does not happen naturally; woman who lift the healthy way just get strong.  Lifting and diet are a great way for you to control how you look and feel.  You can lift as much as you like; as long as you up your weights the smart way, slowly.  If you want to create a more defined look then you simply eat smart; clean, and the weight will come off. 

Lifting weights is an amazing tool that you can use to create the "you" that you want.  No surgery required, you have the power in your own two hands.  But lifting does more than just improve the outer you; it works on the inner you as well. 

Don't believe me? 

Read this article - Woman's Health Magazine

If you just like hanging out at the gym then hop on a treadmill or elliptical and hang.  If you want results, change and a new you?  Lift.  Lift Ladies.