10 steps to getting healthy and losing weight. #4, weight training.
- 10 steps to getting healthy and losing weight
- 10 steps to getting healthy and losing weight. #1, walking.
- 10 steps to getting healthy and losing weight. #2, cut out those junk snacks
- 10 steps to getting healthy and losing weight. #3, cutting out the sodas.
- 10 steps to getting healthy and losing weight. #4, weight training.
- 10 steps to getting healthy and losing weight. #5, cardio.
- 10 steps to getting healthy and losing weight. #6, an active life.
- 10 steps to getting healthy and losing weight. #7, healthy breakfast.
- 10 steps to getting healthy and losing weight. #8, sleep.
- 10 steps to getting healthy and losing weight. #9, smaller and more frequent meals.
- 10 steps to getting healthy and losing weight. #10, eating less meat.
One of my readers asked for a list of 10 steps to good health. I provided it, but now I want to break each of these items down and give you more useful details. So here’s step 4, weight training.
Most people don’t think of weight training when they think of general fitness. They prefer to believe that it’s something reserved for athletes and hard core body builders. However, weight training can be one of the most effective things you do as a beginner. In fact, I started with weight training before cardio.
You see, I knew I needed some form of exercise. I was walking every day but I didn’t think that was enough. I had tried various cardio exercises but failed miserably. In fact, it was during one of these failed cardio trips to the gym that I first tried weights. I was wandering around the gym feeling depressed at having been unable to run yet again for more than 10 minutes. I somehow found myself in the free weight area where I observed the people working out. There were a few who had clearly been doing this for years, but I also saw many who were rather new to this. They were lifting a range of weights, some of them light enough that I thought even I could manage. Best of all, they were taking their time and being social while working out.
Yes, you’ll see some people in the weight and machine areas with iPods on, working out and ignoring the world around them, but you’ll see many more talking, working out with friends and joking with one another as they work through sets. Something about that appealed to me and so I decided to give it a try. I went over, lifted some weights and wonder of wonders, I didn’t have any problems at all. If there was something I wasn’t quite good at, which was pretty much everything back then, I simply lowered the weight. If there was something I was unfamiliar with, I asked. In fact, by the second week, I asked one of the frequent gym goers there to help me build a workout tailored to my requirements. He was happy to help and I soon had a routine to follow. I’ve enjoyed weight training ever since.
Benefits of weight training
Fun - I find weight training to be a more social activity than cardio. You can talk without huffing and puffing. You can help each other out rather than simply run side by side. Plus, it’s easier to accommodate different levels of activity. If your workout partner is not quite as strong, you simply lower the weight for their sets. I’ve tried to workout with someone whenever I can. Even now, when I don’t have a regular workout partner, I’ll go out of my way to get people from the office to come workout with me. This is one of the reason I recommend weight training to beginners, because like walking, it teaches you that physical activity can be fun, social and interesting.
No failure - It’s hard to fail at weight training. It’s easy to fail at cardio. When you’re fat and out of shape you can’t just start running. You can’t get on a bike and get a good workout. You’ll find yourself out of breath in 5 minutes and unable to go on. With weight training, you can always set the bar a little lower and try less weight. So what if you’re just lifting the bar itself, at least you’re lifting something! As long as you get your sets done and slowly improve, you’re doing fine.
Weight loss - I didn’t realize this at first, but weight training was actually really good for weight loss. Muscle mass uses a tremendous amount of energy even when it’s not being used. So an extra lb or two of muscle could mean a significant difference in your daily calories burned, which translates directly into weight lost.
Health - And along with weight loss itself, weight training taught me that being healthy isn’t all about losing weight. This is probably the most important lesson I learned from this activity. After my first month of weight training, I weighed myself and found that I had only lost 1lb that month. Feeling a little disappointed, I got dressed for work when I noticed that my pants no longer fit me. They were simply too big and I had to cinch my belt another notch to keep them on. Yep, being healthy does not necessarily mean being thin. Your body actually need muscle mass to do its work and if all you do is diet and cardio, you will quickly lose that muscle mass. By starting out early with weight training, I managed to keep my muscle mass while still losing weight, if a bit more slowly.
How to get started
It’s easy. Either get a gym membership or buy a small set of weights. Then design your workout or use someone else’s prebuilt workout like this four day workout we discussed last week. Now start workout out. It’s that easy. Ladies, weight training is definitely for you too and no, it will not turn you into body builders. You need a lot more than 30 minutes for four days a week to grow bulging muscles. Weight training is a vital part of every healthy lifestyle.
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