I rowed in high school, so I lifted a little then. My husband is in love with Mark Rippetoe, and when I moved in with him I started to lift on his program which was based on increasing strength.

We moved to Germany in December, 2012 and I gain close to 20lbs. So I read Tim Ferris' book "4 hour body" and I started his slo-carb diet. After I had a handle on that, I started doing his kettle bell swing workouts along with sprinting. I love kettle bell workouts, but they get old really quick.

So, now I am doing another workout from Tim Ferris' book, the Kiwi workout plan. I love it so far. It fits my schedule and I can do the exercises from home. I love going up in weight and seeing the progress there.

Because it works. I used to listen to my friends who thought they knew what they were talking about, but after researching my butt off I have found that science is really backing lifting and high intensity cardio. Ignoring advice from friends is the best thing I've ever done. Now that I feel confident in my program, I feel really committed and inspired to work for what I want.

I know lifting weights will help me get where I want to be. I see my progress on a weekly basis now that I am lifting.