Day 39 – Strong is the new sexy

I love images like the one above. It makes me want to get in the other room and exercise RIGHT NOW.

…of course, today happens to be my recovery day. XD

I’ll be honest, I have been loving my strength training more than my cardio lately. I see more results, even when there is still a layer of padding. My triceps have made themselves known, my legs (about mid-thigh down) are looking good, I marvel at the definition in my calves when I shave, I run my hands up and down my arms… It feels good to do the SparkPeople Boot Camp videos and a move that had me wincing in pain from tired muscles last week wasn’t so bad this week.

I remember when I used to say, “I’ll do cardio until I drop some fat, then start on the strength training.” While I do believe starting with cardio to build yourself up is good (even if you just do 10 minutes) so you get used to exercising again and don’t burn yourself out, seeing results with strength training is more motivating to me. I’m seeing definition in my arms and legs, and feeling my abs get tighter, so that makes me WANT to exercise every day so other people can see the changes too! In addition, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn from your aerobic workout…hell, you burn more calories just sitting and breathing!

I made a pact with myself recently: I have 1 week left in my 100/200/200 program and in the SparkPeople Boot Camp. I am going to get through those, because I promised myself I would see them all the way to the end. But once they are over, I’m starting a new program that is based on strength training. Shorter days (where I get through the sets a little faster than others) and off-days will get some cardio in, but for the next month I’m going to focus on building muscle and strength. I’m also going to focus on stretching and flexibility to make sure I don’t injure myself.

You really should change up your exercise every 4-6 weeks to keep engaging different parts of your body, so this change will come at the perfect time. After a month, I will probably go back to the 100/200/200 (this time, doing the hardest level and maybe even doing my push-ups on my toes!) and another Boot Camp-like program. I may also switch up to something like Couch To 5K instead of the stationary bike (although doing so in the middle of a steamy North Carolina summer fills me with dread!) or maybe…just maybe…consider joining a gym. After that, who knows? I’ve been looking at P90X and Insanity. Those are still WAY down the line for me, but why not look toward the future? Because I’m not thinking, “IF I get through this next phase…” but “WHEN I get through this next phase…!”

I want to have fun with this, and I want to look good. It’s exciting to see changes, and I can’t wait for more changes to come!

And so, yesterday’s report….