JessFit

Cuckoo, Look for the squat rack. Most gyms have them in some form and they are SO MUCH BETTER than the smith machine. The bar rests on pegs about chest height and you step under it and use your shoulders/back to lift it off the rack, then step back and squat! I'm sure if you google then you can see the different types of racks so you can recognize it at the gym. Just make sure you're always working with the right form so you don't get hurt or have to drop the bar. And keep lifting girlie!

I hope that you do fabulously on the exam! And congrats on really sticking to the diet, I know how hard it is with finals and I admire you for trying with everything else.

As a felame I have this problem too, it's like 24 hours of ridiculous hunger after I lift. I've just gone with the "eat as much meat and raw veggies as you like" theory, your body is hungry because it is trying to rebuild. I've also discovered that this happens when I don't drink oodles and oodles of water. The water is a big help to curb the hunger

Not sappy, honest! Encouragement is great, we all need it sometimes, but I agree that it is great that so many people here are honestly happy for everyone who is achieving something. It is a great place

Agreed! People make a lot of assumptions based off of body type, just go and do it!

I-Jo, I've always been small-ish but since I started weight lifitng I've jumped up a pants size. I went from owning 30 pairs of fress pants and jeans to owning 5, two of which were recent purchases, because my butt doesn't fit in anything anymore! And I have a very hard time finding pants that fit at all! I feel you so so much! I'll be making a TJMaxx trip soon too. The absolute worst part is that my mom keeps telling me it's because I'm "getting bulky" and I have rolled my eyes so many times that I give myself headaches. Mom, I'm now in a size 3 instead of 2. I'm not exactly the hulk nor am I going to be!

My mom is like that and I mostly just ignore her, but if it is your husband as well that causes a bigger problem. Educate him and then invite him to do it too! Starting strength, new rules of lifting for women, Stronglifts, hell even Google will explain why you should lift heavy and can help you do so safely. He needs to be supportive of the fact that this is something that you want just as you are being understanding of his misconceptions about this. And really, he will love the results! Make a deal that you both try it for a while and you will try something he wants to do, or something in that vein.

Yeah, just be rude. I hate it, I consider myself nice enough and I hate knowingly being rude to someone, but these guys you just have to be rude to! But I get hit on a lot in my big box gym as well, and there is no way to be nice without never being able to workout. Not sure if you have seen this video, I think all of these moves have been used on me at least once, and some of them I see really regularly. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBvHbnhl3M8

I feel like my stance is wider, and I have really long legs so I feel like I actually work more than some of my shorter-legged counterparts. That being said, I know everyones form is different based on things like height and leg length. Learn everything you can about the best way to squat, especially for your body and don't you dare go to the smith machine! no no no! It won't help you in the long run even though theoretically it seems like it should. Just make yourself super smart and tough it out!

Thank you thank you thank you! The only friend I have that lifts is a guy and he gets so frustrated with me because working out makes me cry all the time! I'm glad to know it isn't just me!

Congrats! Keep it up!

Rockon, I've never tried crossfit but I know what a following it has, rock those workouts!

Congrats! I hit this goal about a month ago, keep going! You rock! Alice, you will get there, just keep your eye on the prize

Congrats! 10 pounds is a big deal, I'm sure you will rock dropping the rest of the pounds. Good luck

WOW! That is amazing, and great photography.

No, I don't have a goal, I was a dancer growing up and was always very flexible so yoga was a way for me to take the thing my body did very well and relax. Really that is why I do yoga. Sometimes I push myself with each pose, try to go harder or stretch farther, but even that isn't the aggressive type of push you get from lifting or running so it factors into relaxation. I get thrilled when I realize I've held a pose longer or stretched farther but it seems that the harder I try to do that the harder it is, if I stop focusing on my body or even thinking then the poses get easier and I do them better. Not sure if that answers your question, but if you have more questions just let me know!

What and when you eat should compliment your workout, some people like working out in a fasted state but I get terrible results. I have to eat smart 75% of all of the time or my workouts are terrible and/or I end up emotional. Proteins, healthy carbs, vegggies. Something that won't weight you down but works with what you're doing. It has a huge impact on me. PM me if you want some fun recipes that I try, I'm not the best cook in the world but I lived in a dorm for 4 years and am still only cooking for myself so I'm used to healthy with constrained time/space/money and in small portions.

I actually love throwing some weights in a backpack along with some waterbottles and taking a hike, literally! Hikks, woods, trees, stairs! I might not get the same kind of workout as lifting but I love the feeling I get from the fresh air and work and being outside all day!

I love that your first solution was to use something not-electronic! Way to go! I like to watch fish, it's very relaxing and gets me in the right state of mind and leads to different fun thoughts about life, nature, evolution, purpose, ect. Sadly I don't have fish anymore and it's kind of awkward to zone out in the middle of the pet store. I also love progressive relaxation and the mind clearing effect and weightless feeling it leaves me with. I was always told to "clear your mind" for meditiaton (for some reason I can remember this as early as 4th grade) but I jsut thought of a bog black void then, which lead to thoughts of outerspace and a variety of other things, so I just try to achieve a relaxing phsyical state and "soft deep" thoughts to keep my heart rate low, because no one has ever managed to teach me how to clear my mind properly, and my psychology classes taught me that we're always thinking and processing so it's probably not really possible in the sense that I want it to be anyway

Yoga is harder to measure because it's less about numbers, not how long you're on a stairmaster or how many reps or how much weight. So I suggest picking a new pose a week to add to your routine, maybe two, and chosing progressively harder and harder ones, maybe rotate you choices based off of which body part each works. Yoga for me is less about "improvement" and more about being ncie to myself and getting in touch with my body, so try to appreciate that aspect of it too!

Ensi, I had the perfectionsist problem too, I'm mostly over it but I still fight it sometimes. That's why I didn't do this challenge, or any yet to date, so that I could focus on school and finals. Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be invited to this thread even thought I'm not in the challenge. I do have a goal, to run 2 miles in the next 4 weeks (which I can't do at all) and since it's only one goal it's not as consuming as an entire challenge. So I'll just be lurking and encouraging this challenge and hopefully I can join you next challenge!

I love to workout sore, but I'm thinking for someone just going back to the gym weights 5x a week is a little overkill and harder to maintain. I would say set the weights goal to 3x per week for now, try to stick to that, it will give you enough recovery time and will help you ease back into it.

Lift heavy things! All the way, that's the best route! And I say write down your goals, on a big poster board, with the steps to get there and the rewards! A night out without the kiddos, a fun weekend trip (to do something active) with the kiddos, a zoo membership, a new outfit, a massage, ect. Then on another big poster board make a chart or calendar with what you're doing and when. Hang these someplace that you will always see them and be able to cross off things on both of them as you work through it. Motivation is something you need regularly, so make sure you can see this often enough.

Agreed, you need bigger weights and you need to work your way up. If you get a heavier weight then in a short time you will be back in the same place, a lot of reps and not too much to show for it, but if you keep pushing to add and lift more then the results will be more noticeable, you will get much stronger, and this will all happen more quickly. And again I'm going to agree with Mgage, barbells barbells barbells! Or bodyweight workouts are ok

What are you eating around your workout? I sometimes have the same problems, and they can usually be tracked back to one of two things: not having eaten properly or not getting enough sleep, I notice my moods get less steady when I'm not sleeping enough or I'm eating poorly and working out a lot.