Undoubtedly, you've heard the horror stories: lifting heavy weights makes women bulky, it's dangerous, it's bad for your joints, and once you have muscle, you can't stop lifting or it will all turn to fat. That’s the last thing you should fret about. Women do not have the levels of anabolic hormones than men have. It's all fallacy, and it feeds into stereotypes that are keeping too many women from experiencing the profound benefits of resistance and strength training.
It's time to put that fear and uncertainty aside. The fact is lifting weights does none of those awful things. What it does is help you to live in a healthier, stronger body.
When you sit down to list your fitness objectives, you may be surprised to learn that that strength training will not only help you reach them, but may reach them faster than performing cardio exercise alone.
Yoga, zumba and running is not bad at all but they’re not enough. So here are some reasons why women should lift weights:
- Weight training is the key to losing fat faster
By weight training, you build lean muscle, and muscle is a metabolically active tissue where carbohydrates and body fat are burned and used as energy. The more muscle you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate, so the more calories you’ll burn over the course of a day.
- It is more effective than cardio.
Many people think slogging it out on a cardio machine or pounding the pavements are the keys to fat loss, but cardio like running or cycling puts strain on your muscles (which can lead to injuries) and won’t build muscle. Plus with weight training, there are practically endless exercises you can do, so unlike with cardio you’ll never get bored.
- Curves
Plus with weight training, there are practically endless exercises you can do, so unlike with cardio you’ll never get bored.
- Quality sleep and Increased Energy.
Strength training greatly improves sleep quality, aiding in your ability to fall asleep faster, sleep deeper, and wake less often during the night. And because you are more well-rested, you feel more active and enthusiastic all throughout the day
Bone Health
As you age, you are at risk of losing both bone and muscle mass. Postmenopausal women are at a greater risk for osteoporosis because the body no longer secretes estrogen. Resistance training is an excellent way to combat loss of bone mass, and it decreases the risk of osteoporosis.Improve strength and boost confidence
Every time your work out with weights, you become stronger, and so next time you’ll be able to lift more, which is both incredibly satisfying and motivating. Once you start seeing the results, you feel good about yourself.
- Stress reliever
Exercise in general is a great way to manage stress. Researchers have consistently found that those who regularly strength train tend to manage stress better and experience fewer adverse reactions to stressful situations as those who do not exercise.
In addition, resistance-training studies on older adults show that moderate intensity weightlifting improves memory and cognitive function. Next time you need to blow off some steam, hit the weights.
LADIES, GO LIFT!
All of us want to feel strong, determined, and confident in everything we do: from fitting into jeans, to moving heavy furniture, to playing with kids, to dealing with a stressful career.
Resistance training can benefit in all aspects of your life. Put it in your fitness plan and feel stronger, healthier, and more confident!
