Losing your flex appeal? Too bad!
If you want great things to happen to your body, pick up a dumbbell today! No, we’re not endorsing internet dating. We’re talkin’ about lifting weights, doing repetitions, building muscle…that kind of dumbbell!
The key to staying trim and slim without depriving yourself on the latest fad diet is flexing some muscle. Muscle is a calorie-zapping machine. It’s your fat-burning furnace. For each pound of muscle you gain, you’ll burn an extra 50 calories per day just to maintain it. So, if you start working out with weights and add five pounds of lean muscle to your body, you’ll burn an additional 250 calories per day! Burn, baby, burn. Blubber inferno! The more muscle you have, the more fat you’ll incinerate 24 hours a day, even while catching some zzz’s (giving new meaning to the term “you snooze, you lose!”). As an added bonus, the more muscle you have, the more can EAT! Yahoo!! That’s reason enough for me to curl my biceps instead of my eyelashes.
Not only does lifting weights work wonders for your physique, but it also can turn back the aging clock. It’s true! Studies involving postmenopausal women suggest the body can appear 15 to 20 years younger after just one year of strength training. And relax, gals. You won’t become a hulky, bulky she-man if you start lifting weights. First of all, if you’re over 35, you’ve been losing muscle for years now, so in most cases, you’re just replacing what was there in your younger, slimmer days. Secondly, your hormones won’t allow you to become The Incredible Hulk. Women don’t produce as much of the growth-enhancing hormone testosterone as men do–some men produce up to 30 times more. The muscle-magazine look comes from Olympian-like training and possible “growth-enhancing substances.”
Mere mortal women like you and I who lift weights will lose fat, tone their muscles, and still look feminine in a dress! Remember, muscle is more compact than fat. A pound of muscle takes up a lot less space than fat. So even if the scale screams “Weight Gain,” those extra pounds will appear smaller, shapelier, and sexier–not bulkier. You’ll look great in your clothes and you might even need to shop for new ones. (Yee-ha! A reason to shop! Not that we need one.) Sleek, compact muscle will act like a girdle to shrink and define your waist, thighs, arms and butt. Imagine! No more saddlebags! No more love handles! Adiose adipose! Goodbye jiggly thighs! Farewell to jello arms!
While I do like going to the gym to lift weights, my latest thing is building muscle in the comforts of my own home by following along with an exercise DVD. That way, I can burn flab and not have to spruce myself up for viewing by the public, which means I’m often in my pink polka dot pajamas and with hair looking like Medusa (snake head) after crawling out of bed. It’s great! Here are two of my favourites that I think produce excellent results, and fast:
Jari Love: With titles like “Get Ripped & Chiseled” and “Get Ripped to the Core,” these 50-minute weight training workouts claim to burn up to 3 times more calories than the traditional weight-training program. And I don’t doubt it. Jari Love (from Calgary), who’s received lots of critical acclaim for these workout videos, leads you through a full-body program using weights and tons and tons and tons of repetitions. I just use five pound weights, and it’s a killer! (She does so many squats and lunges, sometimes I swear at her through the TV, it’s so hard! I hope she isn’t Tele-pathic.) But I’ve had six knee operations, and believe me, if I can do it, so can you! And it’s worth it. If you can do it twice, or even better, three times a week, you’ll be amazed at how defined and strong you’ll get, especially at your core, and how your jeans will start feeling baggier. Check it out on www.rippedworkout.ca.
Another fav: Kathy Smith. Greta and I once met her while waiting in the green room at a TV show, and she’s SO nice. She’s been doing exercise videos since the 80′s and really, really knows her stuff. I like her energy and personality a lot. She’s fun and very motivating. And you’ve just gotta feel like you’re doing something good for yourself when you’re sweating it out to DVD’s called “Great Buns and Thighs,” “Peel off the Pound with Pilates,” and “Build Muscle, Shrink Fat.” Yeah! Right on! You can find out more on www.kathysmith.com.
Pssst! Both gals’ videos make great gifts!
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PumpedUpMomma | December 15, 2008 at 12:04 pm →
Your books and Jari Love’s DVD’s were the key to me losing 45 lbs. and keeping it off for over a year now!
They went together hand in hand!
Altug | December 22, 2008 at 4:31 pm →
You guys are doing a great job
Working in a gym environment, I’m constantly amazed at how scared women are to put on muscle due to not understanding it’s benefits!
Good explanation of the benefits!
Keep up the good work
Altug – Build Muscle Fast
BJ Morgan | December 28, 2008 at 11:19 pm →
Hi Greta and Janet;
What a refreshing post! I am just getting to know you guys (Mom got all of the kids your book for Christmas) – and I am very impressed so far. Your comments here (and the addition of the “Ex-Files” to your latest book) really show your sincerity and commitment to educating others properly on how to make lasting, healthy lifestyle shifts. As an avid fitness buff my whole life, I’ve always known how much better I feel when I exercise with regularity (resistance/weight training mostly). However it’s only the last few years that I have really embraced proper nutrition as an essential component to my overall health and really became aware of what I was putting into my body and how it affects me on a cellular level.
As for the ‘dumbbells’, I can attest to every word in your most intelligent and articulate post Janet. I can’t count how many women I have ran into over the years that are afraid to do resistance/weight training of any kind whether it’s with dumbbells, machines, thera-bands or just plain body weight exercises in general (ie: squats, push ups etc.). To those of you who still hesitate using weights due to the mis-guided thought of “bulking up”, or are more worried about what the scale says rather than how your favorite jeans fit, YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOUR MISSING!! And these days with the surge in functional training methods you can get the results right from your own home with the right program and at the most a few inexpensive accessories.
I look forward to ‘devouring’ every page of your book over the coming weeks.
Keep on inspiring!!
Warmest regards,
Billijon (BJ) Morgan
Banff, AB
PS: Thanks for taking the time out of your busy day to sign our books Greta…very sweet of you
Arlene | February 2, 2009 at 7:48 pm →
Hi Janet,
I’ve been a fan of your (and Greta’s) cookbooks for well over a decade now. I have them all, and still, to this day, make recipes out of ‘Looneyspoons’ at least once a week. Tonight was ‘Flab-u-lous Fajitas’. Mmm! You gals rock!
I want to thank you for recommending Jari Love’s “Get Ripped” workout DVDs. I absolutely LOVE them. Jari really knows how to kick your butt, yet make an hour’s worth of exercise go by super quickly. I’ve bought 4 of her DVDs since your blog post.
At 57 years old, between eating healthy meals created from your wonderful cookbooks, getting ‘ripped’ with Jari, running and cycling, I’m in better shape now than when I was in my 30′s. (Thank goodness for dishwashers – I end up using nearly every pot, pan and bowl, every time I make a J&S recipe, LOL! – but SO worth it!!)
THANK YOU!!! I can’t wait to try your new J&G kitchen tools.
Wishing you continued good health, happiness and success. Hugs to you and Greta.
Arlene B.
St. Catharines, ON
Arlene | February 2, 2009 at 7:53 pm →
Ooops… a typo … of course … I meant J&G recipe.
I should have re-read my post before hitting ‘Submit’.
traci | February 9, 2009 at 2:31 pm →
how can i get the recipe for “Starvin’ Guy Chicken Pie”, it was on your show but I don’t see it on here and it’s not in the book either.