Ladies, Ladies, Ladies……I hear it all of the time “I don’t want to lift weights because I don’t want to look like a man!”
Believe me I understand the concern and totally agree! But I’m here to tell you should not be in fear of lifting weights!!
Why?????
Well, testosterone is one of the requirements needed in order to create muscle growth. Women do secrete low levels of testosterone but not enough to “bulk up. Women who do appear bulky more than likely have utilized additional supplementation, incorporated strict dieting and are training at excessive volumes. Weight lifting, also known as resistance training has many benefits!
Keep reading to learn 5 of the benefits of weight lifting!
Burn More Calories=Weight Loss
Metabolism is how we convert the food we eat into energy. This energy is used by the body to help perform all of the physiologically functions to keep us alive. The higher our metabolism the more calories we will burn on a daily basis. By lifting weights you help to increase lean muscle mass, which in turns helps you to burn more calories. Muscle burns more calories than fat tissue and this is true even in periods of resting!
This is beneficial because our metabolism only allows us to burn a certain amount of calories a day. If you are looking to lose weight, you have to make sure you are burning more calories than you are consuming. In order to burn more calories and lose weight you need to either:
1.) Consume less calories or
2.) Burn more calories through exercise.
Strength training is an excellent way to give your body a calorie burning boost!!!
Prevent “Skinny Fat” Syndrome
Have you ever heard of the term skinny fat???
It may sound a little confusing, so let me clarify. This is when someone appears to be a healthy weight but in reality they have a large composition of body fat in comparison to lean muscle. There tends to be a misconception that being thin equals being healthy and that is definitely not the case.
Having too much fat and too little muscle can lead to cellulite and give your body a “flabby” appearance regardless of your size/weight. By incorporating strength training you can give your body the lean, toned look you desire. I personally didn’t start getting the look I desired until I incorporated weight lifting into my exercise routine. I now lift weights at minimum two to three times a week.
Keep your curves
Aerobic exercises (Cardio) like running, swimming and walking will burn both fat and muscle tissue. Performing cardio only when you go to the gym, will certainly slim you down but your body will lack tone and definition; the same goes with dieting only.
Incorporating strength training will help you to not only lean out but build muscular toned curves……with minimal flab!!!
Maintain Bone Density
Women are more at risk of developing a condition called osteoporosis. Osteoporosis causes bone to become more fragile, resulting in increased risk of fracture. As we age, we naturally experience bone loss, so the best time to build bone strength is during childhood and teen years.
But there is still hope!!! You can develop habits to help slow this natural bone loss. One of those habits is physical activity. To be more specific, weight bearing exercises help to stimulate your bone cells to lay new bone resulting in increased density(thickness). Performing exercises like squats or lunges with weights can help maintain your bone density.
So squat away ladies!!!
Maintain your strength
You have all heard of the saying, “Use it or lose it!!!”
Well, as we age we naturally lose both muscular strength and flexibility. Lack of muscle strength can lead to a decrease in balance control resulting in falls and injury as we age.
By incorporating strength training into your routine you can help prevent the natural loss of muscle strength and stay on those feet!
You may think to yourself…..I am still young! Well getting older is a blessing and if you are fortunate enough to stay on this earth then I’m pretty sure you want to be able to get around on your own. Maintaining your muscular strength through the years will help you to stay independent as you age.
In summary, most women (including myself) desire to look a certain way. Eventually, we will all start to see the signs of aging as we get older…some sooner than others depending on how we treat our body.
I will never forget what one client said to me when I was about 21 and working in Home Health. She said, “Lindsay, take care of yourself when you are younger because you will surely pay for it when you get older. Trust me I know, that’s why you are here helping me now, I didn’t take care of myself.”
Two years later, I enrolled in Chiropractic school and my wellness journey began!
If you can find the motivation now to develop healthy habits your body will thank you for it in the long!!
Get to lifting Ladies!!!
Find Health in Every day,
Dr. Lindsay