30DC13: Last Items I Purchased

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I’ve had a Chapters gift card sitting around in my room for about two years now, and I’ve either forgotten about it or had nothing to buy. Recently, I decided to treat myself and to take advantage of the bonus points they’ll give you when you purchase in the month of your birthday, so I bought the following things:

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Female Body Breakthrough by Rachel Cosgrove
It’s one of my goals this year to start strength training. I’ve always been a cardio junkie because it shows results on the scale quickly (provided you consistently put in the time and eat accordingly) and because there’s no thinking or planning involved – you just join a class or hop on a machine and go. However, a year into doing this healthy living thing, I am kind of burnt out on cardio and I am officially BORED STIFF. Plus my focus has shifted from my weight to my silhouette, and the main way to improve that is strength training. So I decided to get some books to educate myself on the subject before I begin. I feel like the weight room is kind of intimidating, so I need to arm myself with as much knowledge as possible – which pretty much sums up my M.O. in life. Also, doing my homework first will hopefully yield better results! I’ve heard good things about this book because it kind of eases you into strength training – the first phase has you using only your own body weight to work out – meaning you don’t actually need to use equipment. So I think this will be a good intro book – will keep you all posted.

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New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove
I’ve also heard lots of good things about this book because it’s a good guide to strength-training for women. The premise is that they reject the popular notion that women should lift light “Barbie weights” for many repetitions – instead, women should lift as heavy as they can handle for fewer reps, just like how men train. Also, strength training won’t make a woman bulk up unless she’s taking substances, blah blah blah – you know the drill. The workouts in this book were designed by the husband of the previous book’s author. I was going to dive right into this book originally, but I think that FBB might be a better introduction for a total newbie like me, so I plan to “graduate” to this book afterwards.

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New Rules of Lifting for Abs by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove
The main point of this book is not actually to build a six pack – that’d be nice but I’m not willing to eat the way a person must in order to achieve them, and it’s not a huge deal to me – but to strengthen the “core” (back and abs). This will alleviate a lot of back pain, which apparently is a common problem. I’ve had low back issues since I was 14 because I almost fell off a table I was dancing on (get your mind out of the gutter) during summer camp and I twisted it, which has caused chronic pain. I’m hoping that by strengthening the muscles that support my spine, I’ll be in pain less frequently. This will be step 3 in my strength training evolution!

Ok, now let’s be honest – how many of you thought that my most recent purchases would be makeup and/or food? :P