Earlier this year I was doing a little bit of cardio. I was taking zumba and cardio kickboxing classes at my city park. However, I am the kind of person that likes a change in my routine every now and then. I had been doing those two classes for about a year. It’s what contributed to my weight loss. However, I wanted to try something different. So once summer began I discontinued my membership and focused more on weights.

I had worked with weights in the past but I was not fully dedicated, until this summer. I bought some dumbbells back then that I occasionally used. Then I bought myself a barbell weight set, (I am slowly constructing my home gym). I had also bought a “high and low pulley system set” its for the chest and laterals. I put myself to work. Monday I worked on bicep, tricep, Tuesday on abdominals and so on.

I don’t know if it’s just me, probably not, but working with weights help you gain muscle but also makes you REALLY hungry. I am always hungry; I like to eat A LOT. I am not picky I’ll eat almost anything. So it would balance out, right? Sort of, I noticed how this certain pinch of my back fat would just not go away.

I’d Snapchat my friend and she’ll insist on me getting back to cardio

But I refused, at first. I love lifting weights it gives you this sort of power, an indescribable mixture of pain, numbness, strength and satisfaction. But it seemed that my constant hunger for food over powered my exercises, which is why the fat remained on my back.

I decided to get back into the cardio the moment I tried on a backless dress at Charlotte Russe. I like wearing dresses and that, you can say, was a wake up call. So for the past month I have been attending these boot camp classes in my city. My old instructor from the city park has her own studio, so I decided to give it a try.

She is enthusiastic and motivational while teaching her classes and welcoming too. Not only does she teach zumba and kickboxing, she also mixes in spinning, step aerobics and makes us do exercises with ropes, mats, dumbbells, barbells and resistance bands. At the end of class I feel dead, but yet alive.

As much as I complained to my friend about cardio and liking all those funny cardio memes; she was right. My back fat is not gone completely, but I am noticing a difference. I did not stop lifting weights though I am simply doing both. Even though I am dying in her class and mess up many times I keep going back because I feel productive, motivated, stronger and healthier.