Weight Training and Book Reviews

A lot of my brain power recently has been consumed with trying to be more active. I think I had a case of the seasonal blues by the end of 2013... I hadn't seen the sun since September my Vitamin D levels have been depleted. Literally there wasn't a single day where it was even worth opening my blinds at work all winter long. I was in the office way before the sun, and left way after it was gone. And rain. Rain, mist, rain, mist, clouds, wind...etc. Oh and I've been having knee problems and couldn't run any distance without IT-band pain that would last for days. And I failed at skiing and every other winter sport...

Anyway, enough complaining! I decided I would need a different plan of attack for my workouts than running. I loved weight training when I took a class for it back in grad school, but I found it hard to translate what I learned to an at home practice. So I went to the library and got "The Body Sculpting Bible for Women." I tried to read most of it and I didn't care for many aspects of it. Their nutrition plan is NUTS, I would never follow that; the thought of drinking milk with protein powder makes me shudder. Also, they tell you that you have to do the workouts in the morning, an hour after you wake up but BEFORE eating...I could never wait that long before eating in the morning! Their 14-day workout plan was intriguing though, as it doesn't require any equipment that I don't already have at home (a variety of weights, a workout ball, etc.), it doesn't take too long, and all of the moves are thoroughly explained in the book. Basically each week they have you do three days of weight lifting and three days of cardio/abs. And every two weeks you go up to the next set of harder exercises. 

I've tried to get into it throughout February. I skipped the "Break-in" routines because I figured I was in good enough shape to do the regular level workouts. But the first few times I did the weight routines, I was SO sore that I could hardly move for a few days following! I didn't feel very motivated to keep things up. But after a while it did get easier, my muscles got a little stronger. Anyway, this week there was also the beginning of a workout challenge at my office, so I was motivated by that. And most importantly, we have had a sudden bout of nice weather! The days have gotten long enough that it isn't dark when I am commuting, so I have been trying to get as much sun exposure as possible by walking home from work. I even managed a bit of running on my way to and from work, with no knee pain (figuring out what is wrong with my knee and fixing it is one of my goals for the year). However, we might get snow and more cold weather for a while (WAAA!). 

Anyway, I recommend the book to anyone who wants to break in to weight training and learn some exercises (even if you don't want to follow their crazy nutrition plan). Also, I checked out 101 Muscle-Shaping Workouts and Strategies for Women. I might actually buy a used copy of that one because its probably the better resource if you want to build your own weight training routines (and it doesn't have a bunch of annoying nutrition suggestions that I don't care to follow). But the "Bible" is better to help get started. 

Stayed tuned for photos of my buff biceps (maybe if I manage to stick to it, haha)!