I used to really hate strength training! Or more accurately, I hated what I thought was strength training. I could do a cardio workout all day long (not really, just saying) but a weight workout…that was torture! Now, I’ve come to enjoy strength training, and I’ve broadened my understanding of what “strength” means. Part of the problem was that to me, the word strength meant primarily weights. I wasn’t interested in becoming bulky, and lifting weights was burdensome, so it seemed impractical to me.  At the end of a run or after a swim workout, I would try to fit in a few upper and lower body weights to “tone” up and to gain some strength, mostly to avoid injury. But one day, I tagged along with one of my kids to a personal trainer (we had given her some sessions and the trainer let me come for free)  I was amazed at the intensity of the hour long workout, especially at how my heart rate increased and stayed fairly high throughout. The idea that strength and cardio could be done at the same time was a new concept for me.  Still, a personal trainer is expensive and took a lot of time.  For me it wasn’t realistic. [Read more…]