How I Excercise

As a person who has always been trying to find that magic bullet combination of diet and exercise, I knew that I needed to fully commit to a program when I started keto.

Before keto I was going to the gym five times a week and working out on various weight machines and then doing some cardio. I was borderline obsessive with it, but I never seemed to see the results I wanted.

My boyfriend, Nate, had been lifting weights seriously for as long as I had known him, so I decided that in partnership with keto, I needed to start a real weightlifting plan that included benchpress, squats, deadlifts, and more.

I have been plagued with weak hips and a achy lower back for as long as I can remember, and Nate kept telling me I needed to do squats but I was stubbornly refusing on the premise that I didn't want to get "bulky."

Nate convinced me that I wasn't going to get built overnight and that lifting would make me feel better and help my keto process.

He found a program called StrongLifts which is widely recommended in the keto world for beginning lifters. It consists of three lifts a day where you do five sets of five reps of each lift. It was perfect for be because it gives you a plate breakdown and you can see progress doing it only three times a week.

Now my weekly workout looks something like this:

Monday: Squats, Barbell Row, Benchpress

Tuesday: Sleep-in/rest day

Wednesday: Squats, Overhead Press, Deadlift

Thursday: Ab work and various kinesthetics at home

Friday: Squats, Barbell Row, Benchpress

Saturday: Low-impact cardio for 30 minutes

Sunday: Rest Day

It takes me about 35 to 40 minutes to do my lifting, which is perfect for me because it means I still have plenty of time to get ready for work if I get my butt to the gym by 6:10.

I've actually started seeing some progress which is awesome. The picture to the right for reference. In the pink dress I was probably close to my heaviest at 218 or more and in the gray/green I was at 200. So probably close to a 20 pound loss with an extra added loss of no more bloating and feeling fly as hell in a dress I wouldn't have been caught dead in before. Progress!

As someone who used to live and die by cardio, I cannot tell you how much weightlifting has helped me. I don't have hip pain anymore, my lower back doesn't act up as much, it is amazing to see my body got through these changes and I can't wait to continue with it!