I like lifting weights. I don’t love it, but I do like it. What about you? What’s your relationship to lifting weights?
My friend Linda Brandt is a weight lifting wonder. She’s a tiny powerhouse who can lift BIG weight. She regularly surprises people she encounters at the local YWCA with how much weight she can lift. That’s not me. Is it you?
Weight lifting is good for us
The thing is, weight lifting is REALLY good for your health and well-being. Thus, when gyms aren’t super safe places for those of us with compromised immune systems, it’s critical to find engaging ways to keep up with strength training.
Having a race to look forward to keeps me focused and motivated to keep up with strength training. That’s not happening this summer and likely not for a while. I needed to come up with a way to get energized and excited about strength training.
Luckily, my triathlon educator friend Jenny Thompson asked our triathlon Facebook group who was having a challenging time staying motivated. I replied yes. Then last week on our regular Sunday morning bike ride and swim, Jenny and I talked about doing a four week challenge.
Workout for Women 4 Week Challenge
What we came up with was that all who were interested would download to their phone the Workout for Women app that my Colorado triathlon friend Delinda Doty Waldron told me about.
We all agreed to do at least one Workout for Women workout six days out of seven days for four weeks. Each day when we finish doing our workout, we text the group. That way we have a group to hold us accountable AND we have a group to help us celebrate!
One of the cool things I like about the Workout Women app is that not only is it free and has animated figures to demonstrate the exercise plus music to keep you motivated, but for many of the workouts you don’t need any weights. But you DO end up doing strength exercises!! Lots of squats, lunges, planks, sit ups and a zillion variations of all of it!
There are officially five of us doing this challenge, but two of the five haven’t yet texted the group. The three of us who are fully engaged are working on getting the two back in the program. Accountability in action!
Accountability and Celebration
During these socially distant, races cancelled, pandemic times, we need BOTH accountability AND celebration!! And it can’t be too hard or too easy. We are hoping we’ve created the ideal balance.
Another great idea my friend Shirlene is doing with her daughter is twice a week they FaceTime each other and do a Denise Austin Fat Blasting Yoga session together. This is the ideal combination of accountability and celebration.
Plus Shirlene and Mary end up laughing hysterically as their dogs and cats join in on the yoga fun!! Shirlene swears by this program. She says, “Do it 3 times per week for six weeks and your back will stop hurting!!”
What are you doing to keep your body moving and strong these days? Please let me know, I really enjoy hearing from you!
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So glad to be doing the strength challenge with you Mari!! It’s both fun and motivating!!!
Jenny,
I am so grateful that we figured out doing this with a group!!! In fact, I just did my first series of two sets!!
Felt good!
As Nadine reminds us, “We are getting stronger!!”