Weight, weight!

This week I'm kicking my fitness program into high gear and getting serious about building muscle. I think I'm like most women when it comes to working out - I'm always so concerned with burning calories that if I'm pressed for time I'll do cardio instead of weights. But it's muscle mass that will keep me young and strong and help my body defy gravity. It's muscle that will amp up my metabolism. And as I get older, it's muscle that will protect my joints from injuries.

So this time around I'm focusing on building muscle. Not a lot; just enough to give me some nice definition in my arms, legs, back, butt and abs. I'll be lifting weights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays along with my interval cardio training six days a week.

Yesterday I did a circuit weight training routine from Jackie Warner's book, This is Why You're Fat, an amazing read and definitely worth a look. The routine took about half an hour. I also did 25 minutes of interval training on the treadmill (2 minutes walking at a good pace at a 15.0 incline; 2 minutes running fast at a 1.0 incline; and 1 minute walking briskly to recover at a 3.5 incline. Repeat the entire series 4 times to make a 20 minute workout).

Today I'm going to do a short cardio interval workout (20-25 minutes) and give my body a good stretch with the P90X* Yoga workout. It's about 90 minutes of vinyasas, held poses, and stretches. It's not like a typical Yoga class with spiritual undertones (which I adore) but even so, it's a lovely gift to give to tight muscles.

Today's a busy day so I'll have to squeeze Yoga in during lunch and crank out my cardio before dinner. Better get going!

* - P90X is the workout program I followed last year to get ready for my 50th birthday. It is the most challenging yet gratifying workout program I've ever done. I love it and I'll return to it 100% in half a year or so. But no matter what your workout, eventually it gets predictable and your body gets bored. So right now I'm mixing certain aspects of P90X with the Jackie Warner program to keep things interesting. I wouldn't recommend that for everyone - if you're just starting a workout program, choose one or the other and stick with it.