Ever wonder why resistance training is so important for women in particular? Here are some of the reasons weight training is imperative and I may have neglected to mention these before:
1. Burn more fat. When you do a resistance training program, your metabolism will stay elevated and you continue to burn fat for several hours afterward. During regular cardio exercise, you stop burning fat shortly after the workout.
2. Change your body shape. Resistance training can slim you down, create new curves, and help avoid the “middle-age spread”.
3. Boost your metabolism. The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism will be. As women age, they lose muscle at increasing rates, especially after the age of 40. When you diet without doing resistance training, up to 25% of the weight loss may be muscle loss. Resistance training while dieting can help you preserve and even rebuild muscle fibers. The more lean mass you have, the higher your metabolism will be and the more calories you’ll burn all day long.
4. Increases strength and confidence. Resistance training increases functional fitness, which makes everyday tasks much easier. Being strong is also empowering. Not only does it improve your physical activities, it builds emotional strength by boosting self-esteem and confidence.
5. Build strong bones. Weight bearing exercise helps build and maintain bone mass, and prevents osteoporosis.
6. Fight depression. Endorphins are released during resistance training and can lessen depression symptoms substantially.
7. Improve sports fitness. Resistance training equals more strength which will equate to better sports performance whether that be your golf game or skiing or whatever sport you enjoy.
8. Reduce injuries and arthritis. Resistance training improves joint stability and builds stronger ligaments and tendons. Keeping joints strong and mobile is always beneficial.
9. Help your heart. Resistance training also benefits the heart by increasing your “good” (HDL) cholesterol and decreasing your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. It also lowers your blood pressure.
10. Guard against diabetes. The more lean mass you have, the more efficient your body is at removing glucose from the blood.
(Thanks to the University of the Fraser Valley for some of these fit tips!)I hope you’re adding resistance training to your fitness program. If you need some support with this, check out my Female Fat Loss Over Forty workout program that you can do in the comfort of your own home. Or I’d love to see you in my boot camp some time.