I turned 37 last month, which is still just so hard for me to believe.  I think of myself as about an, oh, 24-year-old.  Okay, sure I was unmarried, childless, and holed up in an office umpteen hours a week when I was that age, none of which is true now, but still, I don’t feel like I’m closer to 40 than 20.

Of course, there are a few gentle reminders.  Tiny, fine lines around my eyes, lots and lots of gray hair, more creaks and aches in my joints, and the metabolism thing.  Oh yeah, that’s loads of fun.

You see, when I was closer to 20 than 40, I could eat almost anything I wanted and not gain an ounce.  I know, it’s annoying, but that’s the way it was. And unfortunately, I didn’t really appreciate it.  Because now, I swear, I just look at dessert, and the scale reads one pound heavier the next morning.  It’s weird, and frustrating, and kind of tough to deal with, to be honest.  I feel really, really lucky that I haven’t always had to worry about it, but on the other hand, to suddenly have to worry about something you never had to think about is, well, quite humbling.

It’s really become a struggle for me in the last year.  And the problem is, I love dessert.  I could give up burgers, fries, steaks, bacon, chips, salt, any of that in a heartbeat.  But I must, must, must have a little something sweet every day.  Otherwise, I’m grumpy, cranky, and just plain not fun to be around.

So, it quickly became obvious to me that I would need to figure out something other than eliminating sweets from my diet.  Sure, I don’t eat as large of a portion of dessert as I might have in the past, but I still had to do more.

And what I’ve figured out, over the past 6 months or so, is that weight training is absolutely crucial to keeping off the pudge.

Now, let me just insert a quick dose of brutal honesty here – I’m no fitness guru, physical training expert, or swimsuit model by any means.  I’m just a mom who likes to read stuff about health, who goes to the gym on a somewhat regular basis, and tries out different things to figure out what works best for me.

And I’ve found that, while cardio is important for lots of reasons, the only way to keep those extra inches off my tummy and thighs is to pick up some weights and move ‘em around a bit.

So, over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to share some of my favorite exercises I do with weights.  I don’t use really heavy weights (I have a lot of back problems and I don’t find it’s necessary anyhow) – I stick with 5, 10 and 15 pounders, depending on the exercise.  I also like really basic exercises that are sort of tried-and-true (if I’ve seen them in a magazine or book numerous times, for example).

Here’s the first one that I’ve found to be really effective – the chest press.  The most important thing to remember when doing this exercise is to keep your tummy sucked in and your lower back on the floor (or bench, if you’re using one).

Lie down on your back on the floor or a bench with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.

Grab a weight in each hand (I use 10 or 15 pounds for this one).

Bend your arms at a 90-degree angle so that your tricep is on the floor, your elbows are in line with your shoulders, and your wrists are in line above your elbows.

Raise your arms up at the same time, touching the ends of the weights together over your chest.

Lower your arms back to the original position.

Do 3 sets of 15.

Here is a great video I found online showing you how to do this exercise (there’s an intro ad, but it’s worth sitting through to see a really great demo):

Chest Press with Dumbells

And why do I love this exercise?  Well, I find it tones up that pesky back of arm area, the bicep, and most importantly, helps keep the chest perky and strong.  All very important for us gals, right?

Do you already do this exercise?  If not, give it a try and let me know what you think!