A few years ago I bought two Jillian Michaels workout DVDs (Banish Fat Boost Metabolism and No More Trouble Zones--one of which uses free weights for strength training and the other is more cardio). I did them adamently for maybe two weeks, and then gave up on them. They've been sitting in their cases ever since then. I lied, I attempted to try one of the tapes again before the wedding to try and tone up a bit...I made it through two of the seven circuits, then realized I couldn't breathe and was completely out of shape. I stopped and said, well, ain't doing that again!
Most of my workouts this year have consisted of treadmill runs and the occassional go on the elliptical. I haven't varied from that because I honestly enjoy running and find it to be a very rewarding workout, both physically and mentally. Last night, however, I came across a blog post that talked about the 'dangers' of using running as your sole form of workout. Two of those 'dangers' included becoming skinny fat and having unwanted cellulite, both of which stem from the same principle of not getting the added muscle tone/build from consistent weight training. A couple clarifications, skinny fat people are those that are somewhat skinny but have little muscle matter...just extra fat in places. It's like when you see a person who can run for long periods of time, but doesn't exactly look amazing naked. And if you don't know what cellulite is, how could you not?, it's that annoying cottage cheese dimply looking spots on your body, typically on your ass and thighs.
But, back to the skinny fat concept...as I reread that part over and over again, I realized that it kind of sounded a bit like me. I can run for a long time, but I've always looked a bit flabby. And while I've always considered myself a strong girl, muscle strong, I began to doubt how strong I actually was. Am I skinny fat? Honestly, I don't even consider myself skinny in the least bit, but I've had a negative body image for years, so who knows at this point, but I do feel like the reason I can workout forever and eat right and not see the pounds drop off is because I'm not building any extra muscle due to the fact that I'm just using the same muscles repeatedly. If anything, I could be doing more harm than good. Maybe?
I've never enjoyed weight training, and clearly that's why I've avoided it forever. But, as I'm getting older, I'm finally beginning to realize how important it is to do it. And reading that blog post last night really hit it home for me. It's time that I try to make a commitment to it, just as I have made a few other commitments this new year. It's gonna suck, and I'm going to hate it at first, but God willing, I will learn to deal with it and find a way to enjoy weight training...or at least endure it. So, I'm going to try out my Jillian again. I'm not sure yet what my goal is yet other than that I must try and make the extra effort for a solid 4 weeks...starting today. Wish me luck. Better yet, wish my shoulders, chest, arms, abs, back, legs, hips, and glutes good luck :/
Oh, and if anyone would like to share some weight training tips with me, that would be appreciated. Thanks!
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