Turns out it's not just for guys!
Not like it comes as a surprise, but I’ve always been a big cardio fanatic in the gym. Of course that stems from my six-year commitment to track and cross country, but it also comes from my long-term belief that cardio slims you down and weight-lifting bulks you up. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.
My journey with weightlifting started after my injury when I went to go see my incredibly inspiring trainer, Anna. Anna was the first person to teach me that lifting is healthy and that girls can lift too. After tearing a very important ligament and losing all of the muscle in my right leg, I had to build it back somehow. I found Anna’s gym, but I also find a new hobby.
Deadlifts, good mornings, front squats, bicep curls, and tricep dips. These words became a part of my daily workouts, making me stronger and building a physique I was very proud of. I loved the idea of pushing myself, busting out more reps than I had in my previous session or increasing the weight on my bars. I found myself not only happy with my progress, but also my body - something that had become such a negative part of my life over the past year.
When I got to college, however, I lost that drive for weightlifting. I fell back into the mindset I busted out of when I found Anna’s gym. Cardio was the only thing I made time for, running to forget the calories of the pizza from the night before. I stayed thin, but I lost muscle. I felt weak - both physically and mentally.
While I’ll be the first to admit that cardio is one of my favorite activities (I’m not crazy, I promise - I just love to run!), lifting is super beneficial for your health. Not only does it improve your balance and muscle mass, but building muscle actually improves your body’s ability to burn fat. It’s also been proven to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and diabetes, as well as help your body regulate blood sugar (which is so so important!). While I know all of the benefits of weightlifting, I’ve still neglected it over the past few years. This has to do with many things, very briefly those being … my incredible fear of getting fat if I don’t do enough cardio (it’s awful, I know - I promise that I’m working on it) and the judgement I feel from every guy in the weight room. That being said, senior year has been a bit different.
Maybe it’s because senior year has been a defining moment where I've decided that I really don't care what anyone thinks of me, or maybe it’s just because I wanted a new challenge, but I’ve found myself in the big weight room at least four times a week for the past two months. All I have to say is that I remember why I loved lifting so much after my injury. Not only does my body feel tighter, but I feel so much stronger - both mentally and physically. I haven’t been stressing about cardio (I’m still doing some though, I won’t lie), but, instead, I’ve been incorporating heavy weights and lots of reps into my daily workouts. While I will say that I still enjoy mixing up my workouts, I do believe that weight-lifting is just what I need (and maybe what others need too) to feel good about myself and my body. To all my girls that won't try lifting, give it shot - you might find that you like it. I’m sure I’ll end up on another cardio bout soon (marathon round 2?), but, as of right now, I think I’ll stick to the gym.