Lazy Girl Fitness...?

In my free time I really enjoy to browse through the website Pintrest. I'm sure most of you (females especially) are familiar with this site. Making crafts for the home and trying interesting new recipes is something that I've always enjoyed trying my hand at. Although my attempts at crafting like Martha Stewart and cooking like Emril typically fail, it's still a website I find myself on just about every evening for a few minutes. I usually scroll through the Health and Fitness page, just to see what they have to say about the topic. I always find your typically workouts that are obviously geared toward girls; things like "Eat Yourself Skinny," "Tush Toning Interval Workout," and "Pop Pilates Butt Blaster" just to name a few. I usually just chuckle to myself and dismiss these silly-named workouts while I continue to browse the massive selection of awesome Nike shoes and Under Armour workout pants that I want in my closet in every color. However, last night I stumbled upon an article that really caught my attention and couldn't help but look at: "Lazy Girl Fitness."

Lazy Girl Fitness, as it turns out is an entire blog with workouts that had titles such as "Microwave Abs" "3 Minute Arms" and "Read a Book." I'll admit, some of her ideas were decent. I, too, like lunges and mountain climbers are okay from time to time. Some of her other exercises included ideas such as doing a standing torso rotation while you wait for your food to cook in the microwave, doing calf raises while brushing your teeth, and using your milk jug to do a few bicep curls while you cook.

That blog epitomizes everything I dislike about the view on female fitness. I understand that beginner exercisers might be scared/intimidated to join a gym and at home workouts can be a great alternative, but only if done correctly. Being in good shape and in optimum health is not something that you can be lazy with. It is something that takes hard work, dedication, and a whole lot of sweat and effort. Being the best you is not something you can achieve during commercial breaks or while you fold the laundry.

So many people have the misconception that girls shouldn't use anything heavier than a 10 pound dumbbell and should just spend some time on the elliptical and call it a day. Girls who want to get in shape and be healthy but do not have the knowledge on the topic see things like Lazy Girl Fitness and think things like that are all they need to do. They stick with it for awhile, don't see any changes, and inevitably get discouraged and quit. Girls need to get over the mindset that they should not lift heavy weight because they will "bulk up." Females need to see less websites like Lazy Girl Fitness and more like girlsgonestrong.com. Girls need to read articles that teach them the benefits of lifting heavy weights rather than reading things that make them think it is okay to be "lazy" about their workouts and take the easy way out. I know from experience that there is no easy way out when it comes to reaching your fitness goals, but once you start seeing results, you immediately see that all the hard work was more than worth it.

I will continue to post things on here that will hopefully be helpful and beneficial to females; however, in the meantime, here are the links to a couple of my favorite sites that always have great articles:

http://www.girlsgonestrong.com/ (they also have really awesome clothes!!!)
http://www.jencomaskeck.com/
http://julialadewski.com/

Just remember to work hard whether you workout at a gym or at home; give it your best effort and never take the easy way out.