Blog Prompt: November 8

I'm a recovering gym rat.

When I was in high school, I ate whatever I wanted--but I ran about 15 miles a week, so it was all a wash. (I also played in the marching band, which afforded me a little extra exercise.)

But somewhere along the line, it didn't matter if I ran 5 or 20 miles a week. I couldn't eat whatever, and I started getting injuries from trying to overdo the exercise.

When I went to college, I changed my routine a little--I still ran about 4 miles a day, but I alternated my cardio with other exercises, like the elliptical.

Because the elliptical was so boring, I had to switch it up a little. I went to the "man" side of the gym--and found that I liked the way I felt after lifting (relatively small) weights. My best friend, a triathlon runner, laughed when I told her. "Of course runners need to do some weight training. You've got to have some muscle to be fast."

But as time went by, I found I was addicted to cardio, despite the fact that things like running had lots of negative effects. At a certain point, they didn't even help me keep a steady weight.

After a particularly painful foot injury (never wear Toe shoes...ever), I found that I couldn't even jog on the treadmill. It was depressing!! If I go for more than a few days without some kind of sweat-inducing exertion, I go stir crazy.

A friend of mine suggested that I start doing mostly weight training, with about 15 minutes on the bike on the side.

"But I'll get big!! Girls aren't supposed to do a majority of weight training."

"No, you won't," he replied. "You just don't have enough testosterone. Trust me. You're just going to be toned."

And he was right. While it is still a struggle to balance out the two, I've found that weight training makes me feel better, not bigger. And honestly, I could go only 2 or 3 times a week, and I was just fine. In fact, I was in better shape than I had been when I ran four miles a day. (I was a lot less injury-prone, too.)

Now I want to get back to running, but I know it's not the be all and end all. And I know that weights are good--even for girls.