I was looking for a way to lose weight last summer and came across Jackie Warner's 10 Pounds in 10 Days diet. I read her book and followed the program, and it worked like a charm. Her program gave me a small taste of what it was like to be at a more optimal body fat percentage with some lean muscle. When I returned to the University for the fall semester, I joined the club rowing team, and working out took off from there. Exercise became a tool to bond with my teammates. We all fought through the pain and sweat together. One of my favorite days of our workout routine was the lift day- high reps/sets at low weights and hitting every major muscle group all in one go. I loved those days even more than the cardio (even though walking was a challenge for days after). Now that the year is over, I'm looking to start a more progressive routine for building muscle (a 5 day split instead of one day a week). During spring semester I'd tried to start a lifestyle change in my diet to cut fat but had a hard time because of readily available fatty junk foods and a lack of tasty veggies or lean meats at the dining hall. Now that it's summer, I want to take advantage of my time and situation to achieve my fat loss goal.

Working out gives me a block of time that I can forget about classes and other stressors and just live in the moment. It's a form of mental meditation for me- I get to the gym and nothing else matters but the weight. Plus, lifting harder and heavier is a great feeling. Being able to lift a weight that seemed impossibly heavy a few weeks before is amazing. I bet everyone here is with me on that. ;)