Many women still believe the myth that weight lifting causes a "bulky" look and anyone who touches weights will instantly inflate and get huge. This isn't true! Weight lifting is actually one of the best ways to shed fat and get the sleek & lean look that you're after.

If your goal is to get slim, and not bulk up like a bodybuilder, then you will need to lift weights a little different. Don't focus on single joint exercises like bicep curls, quad extensions, or leg curls. Instead do multi-joint exercises that engage more than one joint in the movement.

Some great exercises to get you started are squats, bench press, and rows. If this is the first time you've lifted weights, then start light until you get the form down. Slow, controlled movements are key when lifting weights so you don't hurt yourself and hinder your progress.

But once you get the form down, feel free to start lifting heavier and heavier weights. In fact, the heavier you go the better workout and longer term results you will get. Just make sure that you can do 8-10 reps with each exercise, and that you're doing a few sets of each.

Lifting heavy weights will engage more of your muscle tissue and help to increase your metabolism as you build that lean muscle. Muscle takes a lot more calories to maintain than fat or any other tissue, so the results are much longer lasting than trying to diet and lose weight without muscle gain.

Not only will this make it easier to burn fat that's on your body now, but it will keep the fat off in the future as well.