203

I've been in this weights class for 6 months now and I actually have a chest now. For the first time in my life I feel kind of athletic. Not the coordinated, team-sports, competition type athletic, but physically fit, healthy, motivated to stay that way kind of athletic.

A big part of getting there has been changing the way I eat. I don't have the cravings for snacks like I used too and eating a doughnut makes me feel queasy now. The working out and eating right has gotten me down to 203 as well! Not that I'm trying to loose weight necessarily, but the excess weight is dissappearing while I'm building muscle which has helped increase my metabolism. I sleep much better, feel lighter on my feet, and feel better about myself in general.

I think most people have a tendency to think of weight lifting as a vanity activity and that weight rooms are dominated by meat heads. While some of this is true, weight training is excellent exercise because it (1) strengthens muscles you use for everyday tasks, (2) increases your metabolism (muscle burns more calories at rest than other tissues) which means more calories burned, and (3) helps protect you against injuries from over-strained muscles.