What is it about that question that sends shivers up my spine?
To me, this question is the equivalent of asking a non-pregnant woman when she is due.
Sure, I can squat like nobody’s business but dead lifts hurt my sciatic nerve (yes, I am practically 80 years old) and I’ll leave the cleans & chest presses to my husband. Calluses on my hands? No thank you, I’m much too Scarlett O’Hara for that business.
So, if I omit the typical weight-lifting exercises and focus on high reps using body weight and 10-20 lb. weights can I really say “yes, I lift weights?”
My answer is usually a meek “not really, well, only light weights” while looking down at the floor until the person asking says “oh, you look like you lift weights and I would like to get started.”
Gee, thanks for the compliment.
I should celebrate my muscular frame but I get offended. “Am I too bulky? Do I look like a man to you?”
I am slowly learning to say “yes, I lift weights because, in case you hadn’t heard, strength training is great for women!”
I’ll prove it:
Lifting weights builds muscle
Muscle makes you stronger and women don’t carry the hormones to make them “bulk up”
More muscle leads to a faster metabolism
A faster metabolism means more weight loss
Muscle growth and weight loss means a toned look and improved athletic ability
Adding weight builds balance and coordination – I need all the help I can get in this department
Plus, strength training can help ward off diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis, who wants any of that stuff?
So this week I really want to encourage you to get in the gym and add some light weights to your normal routine and answer this question with a resounding YES.
