Two Words Peeps: WEIGHT LIFTING

If you want to burn fat, boost your metabolism, and sculpt/tone any part of your body, it’s imperative you do some strength training. And I don’t mean using some “two-pound-my-bra-weighs-more-than-your-dumbells” kind of weight lifting. I want you to push yourselves outside the “heavier weights = bulkier frame” mindset. I’ve been following the ChaLean Extreme (www.beachbody.com) program for a couple of weeks (three mornings per week, approximately 30-45 minutes each set) and I’ve seen metamorphisizing results already. My cousins Sunny and Mandy are currently in different cycles of P90X (www.beachbody.com) which I have followed in the past and let me tell you, it produces the same results.

Muscle truly does burn fat! It was hard for me mentally to imagine that lifting 20-30 pounds for each exercise wasn’t going to turn me into She-looks-like-a-He-Man and it was physically hard for me to lift that much weight but the goal is to exhaust your muscles after only 6-8 reps. And it works! My foopa/apron/tube of biscuits belly is actually starting to shrink, yeehaw!

But get real. If you haven’t worked out other than getting off the couch to change the TV channel because the batteries in your remote went dead, please don’t plunge into this intense kind of workout program. Exercise is something you want to ease into, make small commitments and stick with them, then up your anty by adding more days per week, more challenging routines, and heavier weights.

I know from personal experience that you have to keep “tricking” your body by doing different things to see results. If you run all the time (which is of course a great way to exercise), you occasionally need to break that cycle and try a group fitness class or workout DVD at home. Same goes for group fitness (which is my personal choice for a cardio workout………..running is something I truly try to avoid unless I’m being chased). However, I occasionally run stairs or run on the beach (easier on the left knee) giving that dreaded exercise “plateau” a big ol’ kick in the face! ARRRGGGGHHH! (That was my Pirate yell, hahaha).

So what are y’all waiting for? Get moving and lifting, and don’t forget to shake that booty!