Ladies Who Lift
We all know that exercising is incredibly important to incorporate into our daily lives in order to feel energized, reduce stress, stay focused, etc. Prioritizing exercise is essential in performing our best in every aspect of life, but certain methods of exercise are more beneficial than others. As women, we tend to believe that cardio is the answer to all of our problems. No bad day can’t be fixed with an hour on the elliptical or a quick 3 miles on the treadmill. No doubt cardio is a great method of exercise and offers many benefits, but lifting weights is proven to offer even more opportunity for leading a healthy and fit lifestyle. There are many fallacies in our society regarding women and lifting in particular. Women often believe that if they lift heavy weights, they will become incredibly “bulky” and look “manly.” The truth of the matter is that women lack enough testosterone to bulk like men do. Instead, lifting helps women gain strength and define their muscles without bulking. Read below for more benefits lifting offers women.
Increased energy: After strength training and lifting heavy weights, your body goes through EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). This means your body continues to consume greater amounts of oxygen in the hours following lifting, making you feel more energized.
Bone health: Weight training benefits your bones by increasing bone density and strength. A study done at McMaster University discovered that after a year of consistent resistance training, the bone mass of postmenopausal women increased by nine percent.
More effective fat loss: Strength and weight training increases the amount of lean muscle you have while increasing your daily metabolism which burns calories. Studies have also found that you will burn 35 to 50 more calories a day for each muscle pound you gain.
Quality sleep: After expending a great amount of energy and exhausting your muscles from heavy lifting, your muscles need (and take advantage of) a good sleep to rejuvenate and grow. Lifting can help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and increase your quality of sleep.
Improves posture: Weight training help build a stronger core, back, and shoulders which can correct poor posture. Proper posture and a straightened back can also reduce lower back pain.
Getting into resistance and strength training is much less daunting than it seems. There are multiple exercise plans and circuits you can find on the internet or fitness Instagram accounts that demonstrate how to use weights and how to benefit most from them. Don’t be afraid to take over that bench at the gym and show off your bad a**sery as a lady who lifts!
Sources:
http://time.com/4824531/strength-training-women-exercise/
https://blog.paleohacks.com/benefits-of-weight-lifting-for-women/
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/8-reasons-women-should-lift-weights.html