I decided to recommit myself with my fitness routine
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I had recently attended a fitness conference in Anaheim last July and I learned so much about fitness. I was pumped and I was ready to take my fitness to the next level. The fitness conference was what I needed to get myself out of a mundane exercise plan that was getting kind of boring. The past few months before I attended the conference, I felt like I was just going through the motions with my daily running and sporadic gym attendance to do some weightlifting. I was at the point that I was going to stop running and just start walking. It is amazing how attending a health conference and meeting other fitness trainers can make things happen. It was time for me to recommit to my health and challenge myself with my exercise routine.
So I started the month of July with a plan to switch things up with my fitness routine. I decided to use the knowledge that I had obtained from
fitness influencers. I decided that I was going to challenge my body and see what it could do. At 54, I no longer workout to have that perfect body or a certain number on the scale. I also do not exercise as a punishment for what I ate. I now get the fitness in so I can have a healthy strong body. So I was ready to start sweating and I wanted to see if I could get some strong muscles, especially in my arms. Being a runner has left me with weak untoned arms and I accepted the fact that it was time for me to get serious with some weight lifting.
I am 54 years young
I am not talking big beefy muscles that people think of when someone mentions weightlifting. I am talking that I wanted some toned muscles so I could do some pushups. I wanted to see if I could get some stronger muscles so I did not look like a wimp when I did yoga. I wanted to see if my middle age body could get some definition in places like my arms and core. My legs already had some great muscles from all the running I do but my arms needed some help. If I wanted to up my fitness influence on my website and share my
fitness tips, then I needed to get serious about my own fitness.
So I headed to the gym near my house and started exploring the weightlifting machines. My teen son was at the gym at the time and I watched his weightlifting routine. I noticed that he used free weights instead of the weight lifting machines. My son has some muscles on his arms so I went to him for some fitness advice. My son told me that I would get better results from lifting the free weights in the gym as I would be using my core. So being that my stomach could use some firmness, I decided to start lifting over in the free weight section of the gym. I am glad that my neighborhood gym has smaller hand weights and kettlebells that range from 5 to 20 pounds and that these weights are in a different section away from the bodybuilders. That way I did not have to lift weights with some sweaty smelly guys that looked like the hulk. I started with 10-pound weights and did some different muscle exercises that involved lifting the smaller weights in ways that I could feel my arm muscles getting a workout. I decide to lift weights three days a week as I knew that it was important for my muscles to get some rest to avoid injuries. This weightlifting routine fits perfectly into the days that I met my husband at the gym in the evening.
Working out makes me feel so good
My new fitness routine also involved doing cardio exercises like running. So I started running 4-5 miles a day, 5 days a week. Every other day my daily run included 2 miles running up a street that had some awesome incline. It was summertime so that meant I had to get myself up out of bed early in the morning to beat the heat. It was tough at first but then it got easier. I started to enjoy my early morning running sessions and afterward, I had more energy. My mind also felt charged up after I went running and I was able to get some great writing done.
About one month into my new workout schedule, I started to notice that my arms were getting stronger and looking more toned. I even noticed that my abs were getting some curves. My middle section no longer was square. I am glad that I took a before picture of my belly before my intense exercise challenge as I was amazed that I had a toned body. I like before and after body photos as they encourage me to exercise. Other things that encourage me to continue to live a healthy lifestyle are
following fitness people on Instagram. Seeing how other people stay in shape encourages me that I am doing good to my body. After giving birth to five kids, my stomach muscles were stretched out and weak. My stomach muscles needed some strength.
Keep reading to see my after photos
I even felt like my lifting of weights was helping me run faster as it was making my lungs stronger. Another wonderful perk that I noticed was how lifting weights was how it helped my asthma. So if one of my many triggers, like a dairy allergy, causes me to have trouble breathing, lifting weights helps me clear the mucus out of my lungs.
My 6-month fitness challenge is over and I decided to continue with lifting weights as I want to keep my muscles strong. I also want to influence my younger boys with a healthy lifestyle. My boys think it is cool that mom can do more pushups than them. They have fun exercising with their mom. I am going to change my weightlifting plan to using the weightlifting machines and do more resistance training with the TRX straps. I like where my muscles are and these things can help me keep this muscle tone.
I am amazed that lifting weights helped me tone my stomach.
I have been a runner for a long time, running 3-5 miles a day but it has never helped me with my gut or the muscles in my arms. Lifting weights did not give me bulky muscles but rather toned my body. I wished I had listened and incorporated weights into my work out routine long ago. Thirty minutes of weights 2-3 days a week is all I had to do. I love seeing my body transform!
Looking at my before and after photos amazes me. I do love before and after photos as they show me that I can accomplish something. There is nothing wrong with loving your body to make it healthy and strong. This was six months of lifting free weights and I did not focus on my stomach. I was looking to gain muscle strength. I only did weights 3 days a week for 30 minutes and cardio 5 days a week for 40 minutes at a time. I did try situps but I did not feel like they were making a difference and they were boring to me. I think for my next 6-month challenge, I will focus on adding some core exercises into my routine.
Another thing that I would like to mention is I did not change my eating habits. I hate dieting and will not restrict my calorie intake. I instead just focus on eating healthy foods. I loved my body before this fitness challenge and my goal was to gain muscle strength. I am not even sure if I lost weight as I do not weigh myself. I like that my body is healthy and strong. I like that at age 54, I can run with my boys. It makes me feel good when my son asks me if we can go running so he can start training for track season. I have even influenced my husband with my fitness. To hear him ask me to meet him at the gym is awesome.
What are your fitness goals?
