[lovelyivy84]

Talk about doing things the RIGHT way!!! You're inspirational girl!

Have you done any alternative exercise? the yoga/pilates thing? I have done it but it is far from the core of my workouts. I just think it's more efficient in the long run to hit the weights. dance classes are good though. Whatever gets you moving and enjoying yourself I suppose.

And I'm with you on the girl muscles. I remember when I first started working out and seeing results, I would flex my biceps whenever I could see them, lol. Washing my hands in the bathroom, then BAM, showing off those delts .

Originally posted by Sistermadly
When I started, I could barely walk around the block! I started by walking around the block, then two, then gradually working my way up to half a mile by the end of the first month. After two months, I could comfortably walk a mile in about 45 minutes. That's really slow - but that was progress.

Now I do a mile in about 12-14 minutes, depending on if I'm walking or walking/running. I can do it in 10 if I do it on the elliptical trainer.

I've been doing weight training all along. It's the one exercise that almost ANYONE can do, no matter their size. I started by lifting 16 ounce cans of soup/vegetables, and then I bought a set of weights. I did shoulder presses, bicep curls, flyes, tricep work - just basic stuff. I absolutely LOVE weight training - girl muscles are mad sexy!

I also took a few water aerobics classes when I first started and they were great - really intense workouts! The best part was that there wasn't any strain on my joints because of my natural buoyancy.