we're back for week 2 of fitness friday, and super excited to welcome nadege!
today i want to talk about barriers to fitness. everyone wants to look and feel healthy, but sometimes that doesn't translate into action.
one thing a lot of women fear when deciding whether or not to lose weight is the possibility of losing the curves that come with weight gain.
i know more than a few women who hold onto excess weight all for a slightly larger bust size and a little bit of extra junk in the trunk.
avoiding taking steps towards your health for these reasons is dangerous.
holding onto extra body fat, particularly belly fat, raises your risk of a host of diseases that will make your added "curves" less than worth it.
make your own body your ideal body type
while many of us have our own preconceived notions of the "perfect" body (i often hear a lot of women throwing in kim kardashian or beyonce during these conversations), the fact of the matter is you may never naturally acquire a body type that is vastly different from your own.
since losing weight, i have definitely lost some inches in both my bust and my hips, but the dramatic reduction of my waist has been more than worth it.
i still have a lot left to lose, and am sure that i will lose more inches all over, but falling in love with my own body and imagining how much better i will look and feel is my own unique prototype. i've made visions of my healthy body my "perfect" body, and the one for which i strive.
i know that when i lose weight and feel healthy that i am exponentially more confident, and i am less likely to compare myself to other women. building that confidence with what i do have makes what i don't have seem a lot less important.
work out for your body type
whether you're an apple, pear, or hourglass, there is a perfect workout for you to enhance your current body type.
shape does an awesome job of providing a mix of strength training and cardio for each type that targets our specific trouble areas. as an hourglass, my trouble spots are my upper arms and back, lower abs, and inner thighs. my best friend is an apple and struggles with her tummy.
women's health mag takes it a step further than shape and includes eating plans as well.
there are awesome (and free!) resources all over the net for making your own body your best body!
if you have an insatiable lust for the curves, use weights!
women tend to shy away from weights. i used to do circuit training in the gym, and was usually the only woman in the weight room pretty much every time i went.
ladies are afraid of bulking, but here's the thing: you're not going to come out looking like the hulk unless you try reeeeeally hard to do so and if you want to build up your curves, you WANT the bulking.
in my experience, i find lifting weights to be an excellent overall fat burner, AND i am able to focus on very specific areas. it has been debated whether or not it is possible to spot reduce, but it goes without saying that it is very possible to focus on specific muscles for bulking.
so, if you want to get your booty back after your weight loss, weighted squats and lunges are perfect for building up the glutes. and if you want to build bigger muscles, you need to use bigger weights.
link up your fitness friday posts below!
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