Weights are our friends!!!!

Including weight lifting in your work out regimen is a must!!!  Whether you are trying to lose a lot of weight, a little bit of weight or just to tone up!
First off, muscle burns calories even while you sit and watch TV.  The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you are burning every second of every day.  Regardless of what you are trying to do to your body you typically need to lose a little bit of fat and you want to give your muscles a little bit of definition.  Women rarely get "big" when they lift weights.  Some will put on muscle faster, but there is no reason to lift light weights...go as heavy as you can 10 reps, take a 45 second break then do 10 more!
The only way muscle will make you look bigger is if you don't lose some fat at the same time, and how do we do that you ask? We lift weights...we elevate our heart rate with cardio (TurboKick is great for this :))...and we watch what we eat!!!!  If you are trying to lose weight, NEVER reward yourself with food!  Don't get the mentality that you EARNED IT because you worked so hard at the gym...you need to change that mentality and find a new reward.  Some new clothes for the gym to show off those muscles, some new songs for your iPod to inspire you to work harder, a new book or magazine to read before bed.  Studies have shown that exercise doesn't help a large number of people lose weight...this is because they think exercising means they should be eating more.  Usually you didn't get to the point where you need to lose weight unless you were eating more than you already should be...so sometimes you still need to cut calories.  Look to whole grains, vegetables and lean meats, add some fruit and you are set!  There are some great books and magazines out there that can help you with eating and exercise ideas!  "Clean Eating" is touted as a great way to get that last layer of fat off your belly.  Tosca Reno has 2 or 3 great cookbooks out to give you ideas on this, as well there is a Clean Eating magazine.  My favorite exercise magazine is Oxygen....a LOT about the weights.  Also Women's Health is great too!  These magazines also have web sites so you can check out their info online!  If you are looking for a TV show to inspire you turn on the Biggest Loser next week-Tuesday night at 8pm on NBC----the most important part is at 9:55 when they show how much the contestant voted off lost once they returned home...before and after photos...very impressive!
Have you made some goals yet?  Where you would like to be by the end of 2009, where you would like to be by 6 months from now.  Remember to keep those goals in mind as we head into Thanksgiving and then the holiday season!  How about a new sleeveless dress for that office holiday party....wouldn't it be nice to show off a little muscles definition on those biceps and triceps ;)
I started lifting weights more again in the past two weeks and the scale revealed this morning that I have dropped 2 pounds.  More muscle combined with some hard cardio and reduced calories and you will see some changes!