Many women shy away from strength training for different reasons, ranging from being concerned about gaining weight to feeling insecure and unsure about their body image. Although there is lots of information floating around, before condemning women who lift weights and how it can affect them later on, you have to understand that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with lifting weights.
Women don’t have testosterone like men, so they can’t create bulky muscles unless they are involved in strength training. If you’ve been all about yoga and cardio exercises for a while now, and you are yet to get the results that you desire, it might be time to incorporate resistance training into your weekly workout routine. Below are some amazing reasons why you should lift weights.
1. It promotes heart health
A lot of people focus on cardio to improve the health of the heart, but only a few people consider strength training to have anything to do with the heart health. Studies have shown resistance training to improve blood circulation better than even cardio exercises that get more attention.
2. It helps to burn more calories
The kind of physical activity you engage in can determine how much calories your muscles burn, and this is because the body burns up calories when the muscles contracts. By lifting weights, you contract your muscles to a greater extent and this also means you get to burn more calories. So, basically, more muscle equals to more expenditure of calories.
3. It strengthens the bones
Lifting weights will help you build and maintain stronger bones and muscles. Studies show that women lose about 1 to 2 percent of their bone mass after menopause, because the body no longer secretes estrogen, and this increases the risk for fractures. You can reduce the risk of this happening by engaging in strength training.
4. It boosts brain power
When you lift weights, you gain more muscle mass, which helps to boost the brain. A study at the University of Columbia found that older women who lifted weights twice a week for up to six months performed better in memory tasks as compared to those who do not lift weights at all. Another study in The Journal of The American Geriatrics Society carried out on some participants, shows a connection between lifting of weights and the developing of age-related holes or lesions in the brain. The study further explains that those who lifted weights once a week had a significant increase in the number of white matter lesions, which improved their brain and memory function.
Before you consider quitting strength training due to one reason or the other, think of these amazing reasons why you should get started with it.
image courtesy of: legionfitnessliving.com.au.