There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can shape up a woman’s figure faster or better than training with weights.
Not swimming, dancing, running, cycling, aerobics, tennis, squash, athletics, hiking…nothing does it like weights.
I will say -I do not have a vested interest in weights. I do not sell them.
I would be just as happy telling you that running would “shape” you up, or that the way to a toned body was through Pilates or Zumba even, but I would not be telling the truth.
Weight training is the answer.
Now, (disclaimer) if you love running, walking, bike rides, etc. you do NOT need to stop those activities. They are not bad! They still have great health benefits. They can help you lose weight if that is your goal, but weight loss is not FAT loss! Weight loss does not mean having a lean body unless you have to have muscle to showcase it. HOWEVER, if you enjoy cardio, the MOST important thing is to find an exercise you enjoy enough to do consistently. I love to add in daily leisure walks to compliment my weight training as well for stress relief.
Consistency, autonomy, and enjoyment is where the magic happens when it comes to your workouts.
BUUUTT... if you've been doing cardio only for a while and are frustrated because you aren't seeing the "toned look" or body shape you've been striving for, it may be time to incorporate a solid strength training program for a minimum of at least 2 times per week!
It's hard to believe most of my clients haven't trained in a gym in almost 6 months. Every single workout they have done since Covid has been at home or outside.
It was freeing to start working out at home, on their own terms. At first I was scared. I worried they would get bored exercising at home. I also worried they wouldn't get good results without the gym equipment or the gym atmosphere to motivate them. I discovered I had nothing to fear. In fact, they got more health and physique benefits with my home workouts.
The fitness industry likes to market the idea we need a lot of expensive equipment to get fit. In reality, you can do much at home with very little exercise equipment. We don't need expensive equipment to get fit. I do most of my workouts myself with a set of dumbbells and some resistance bands. ** which by the way are well stocked in stores again** Many times I have them only use body weight for resistance, and no exercise equipment at all.
Home workouts can also be fun if you want to promote a healthy lifestyle with your family. My sisters family joins me periodically for Facetime workouts. Her daughters think it’s fun to exercise with Mommy. Consistency is how we get results. Many of my clients, and I, have been able to be more consistent with our exercise by switching to home workouts.
We all get into those funks sometimes when we get out of the exercise habit, or feel like we can't motivate ourselves to move at all.
Often we know moving will make us feel better, but taking that first step to complete our workout feels hard. Sometimes we are simply looking at exercise as a chore. I had to start picking workouts I enjoyed, and get used to moving my body in ways that felt good to me without having the gym as my outlet. I found a way to do so at home.
We often get hung up on doing the "perfect" workout. The truth is consistency beats perfection every time.
Just in case you needed a reminder from me- your strength coach!
Love and Squats,
Deanna
