Why Strength Training Is So Important for Women

In this body conscious society, it seems that weight loss tips and tricks for women are everywhere. Headlines are constantly advising us how to drop pounds, dress sizes, and inches quickly and easily. I admit to jumping on the bandwagon a few years ago by joining a weight loss program and losing a fair amount of weight over the year or so that I stuck with it. The problem was that I simply did not want to sustain a lifestyle of counting calories and depriving myself. I also realized that as I was creeping closer to forty that the back problems which had cropped up after my second child were becoming an ongoing, chronic problem. I was slimmer, but was I healthier?

 

After gaining some of the weight back, I started to really look at what I wanted to do about my health. I was eating my two servings of fish a week, inhaling kale salads and fresh fruit, yet I was still having problems with lagging energy, stress, and a sore back. That was when I decided to join a gym and changed my attitude towards fitness. I admit that it was an interesting first visit to the gym, trying to impress upon the young woman doing my fitness assessment that I really wanted to increase my strength, not strive to fit into a particular dress size. Luckily the wonderful trainer that I was then paired with understood where I was coming from and we have been working together for 9 great months now, making me stronger and healthier than I have ever been.

 

Not all of us can have a trainer, I do realize. It’s expensive and it’s a financial sacrifice I made because I never want to risk hurting my back and having to spend a week on pain pills and bed rest like I did four years ago. What I can tell you is that there is really nothing I do with my trainer that I can’t do in my own living room. If you don’t have weights, start by hefting some tinned tomatoes. Get yourself a good video that you think will work for you and go for it. Here’s what you have to gain…

 

An increased metabolic rate.

This means you will burn more calories as you build muscle, which is particularly important for those of us who are reaching middle age and experiencing the slowing down of our metabolisms that can lead to weight gain.

 

Increased bone density.

This is crucial in helping to prevent osteoporosis as we age. It is estimated that 1 in 5 North American women over 50 will have osteoporosis.

 

Better balance and a decreased chance of injury.

As our muscles and tendons grow stronger, it is less likely that you will injure yourself by being active, while stronger core and legs helps to maintain balance, which starts to diminish as we grow older.

 

A general increase in overall strength.

You gain the ability to do things comfortably which may have been a struggle in the past. Lifting children, hauling laundry baskets, bringing home groceries, or even going out for a night of dancing with the girls takes much less effort and makes you less stiff or worn out.

 

Looking toned and healthy.

Women do not bulk up like men when we strength train, so we can achieve that lean muscle which makes us feel good about ourselves.

 

And some more possible side benefits…

There have been studies which link strength training to improved cardiovascular health, lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, increasing HDL (good) cholesterol and lowering blood pressure.

Some studies have also shown that strength training can possibly decrease your risk for diabetes by improving the way your body processes sugar.

A Harvard study showed that strength training for 10 weeks led to a reduction in symptoms of depression in women, proving more effective than standard counseling.

 

So what are you waiting for? Grab an exercise mat, some tinned tomatoes, and get pumping, squatting and lunging. You have nothing to lose and so very much to gain.