5 Reasons Why All Women Should Lift Weights
Now a days the world revolves around social media and technology, making it easier than ever to get lost in all the fitness “misinformation” flying around on the internet. Before you know it, you end up in a high intensity fitness class being led by a 20-something-year-old instructor who leaves you feeling so fatigued that you have to crawl out of the gym. So maybe you decide not to go back to that high intensity fitness class and instead you find yourself pushing the limits onevery piece of cardio equipment at the gym but you’re still not seeing any results in how your clothes fit or how you look and feel. That’s because you need more iron. And we’re not talking about in your diet—we’re talking about in your hands. |
1) THE STATS DON’T LIE
Statistics show that among women ages 25 to 64, only 21 percent implement heavy strength training two or more times a week. But what the other 79 percent of women probably don’t know is that when you skip out on the weight room, you lose out on the ultimate calorie burner. Believe it or not, by adding in two days a week of heavy strength training you can reduce your overall body fat by 3 percent in just 10 weeks, even if you don't reduce your caloric intake. And the cherry on top: all the muscle gains you’ll make have long-term benefits to your metabolism, which will help keep your body lean and sculpted. Just sitting on your behind reading this, you're burning calories—if you lift weights, that is. Your muscle mass largely determines your resting metabolic rate—how many calories you burn by just living and breathing, and the more muscle you have, the more energy your body utilizes. Suddenly, adding some iron to your weekly fitness routine sounds like a pretty good idea doesn’t it? |
2) IMPROVES BONE DENSITY
In addition to helping you lose fat, build muscle, boost your mood, improve your sleep habits and so much more, weight training also helps improve bone density. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases,one of every two women over the age 50 will likely have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. That’s twice the rate of fractures in men—one in four. The good news is, it's never too late to increase bone density by adding strength training exercises to your fitness routine. Through a process called bone remodeling, strength training promotes the development of bone osteoblasts which are cells that build bones back up. Although you can achieve someof these bone benefits through aerobic exercise, resistance training is really the best way to maintain and enhance total-body bone strength. |
3) REDUCES YOUR RISK OF HEART DISEASE AND DIABETES
According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number-one killer of women, and diabetes is on the rise. But guess what? Strength training can help you reduce your risk of both. Research shows that lifting weights produces a different pattern of blood vessel responses than aerobic exercise does, which results in greater increases in blood flow to your limbs. It also produces a more lasting drop in blood pressure after exercise than aerobic exercise does, and both results benefit your overall cardiovascular health. Studies also show that strength training can help control blood sugar levels by pulling glucose from the bloodstream to power your muscles during weight lifting. In fact, research from Johns Hopkins has shown that when combined with strength training, regular aerobic exercise such as cycling, brisk walking, or swimming can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by over 50% by allowing the muscles to better process glycogen, a fuel for energy, which when impaired, leads to excessive blood sugars, and thus diabetes. |
4) HELPS YOU MAINTAIN LEAN MUSCLE AS YOU AGE
Okay, here’s one more statistic for you: On average, women who don’t regularly strength train lose up to a half pound of muscle every year. That might not sound like much, but in 20 years that equates to losing 10 pounds of fat burning muscle that could be contributing to decreased strength and increased body fat. Because muscular degeneration accelerates as we age, it can also be reflected in our posture. However, by implementing strength training to your weekly workout regimen, it will help keep your muscle mass longer and preserve the muscle tone required for good posture and ultimately help you maintain a more physically attractive appearance. |
5) MAKES YOU FEEL STRONGER AND HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE
Male or female, old or young, increasing your strength and focusing on muscle performance is incredibly satisfying, motivating and empowering. Lifting weights increases functional fitness, which makes everyday tasks such as carrying children, lifting grocery bags, or picking up a heavy suitcase much easier. Being strong is empowering, it not only improves your physical activities, but it builds emotional strength by boosting self-esteem and confidence.
So we leave you with this: We aren’t saying that you should completely ditch the treadmill or the elliptical, because cardio is worthwhile in almost any female’s exercise routine, but weight training should be your main focus. And don’t worry, you won’t get “bulky” just because you start incorporating weight lifting into your fitness routine. |