Ladies, Lift!
Lifting weights is not about masculinity or femininity, it is about health and strength. Here are five reasons why your workout routine needs weights
Bulky. Manly. Unwomanly.
These are three of many descriptors that women who lift have been subjected to hearing because when it comes to women and their bodies, everyone and their grandmothers have their two cents to share. You are too skinny, too fat, too tall or too short. You are always too something to someone so it is not shocking that even in health there are judgements.
Science, though, has proved again and again that it is staggeringly difficult for women to put on what is deemed as the masculine version of bulk. In fact, putting on any kind of muscle is hard and requires a dedicated commitment to a strict regime of nutrition, exercise and rest.
The beauty of exercising lies in its ability to help shape your body the way you please but when it comes to lifting weights and building strength, its importance is tied to health, especially as one ages.
There are far too many profound benefits of resistance training to allow stereotypes to hinder progress, and here are
five of them:
Better bone health
With great age comes the great risk of illness and issues, unless you invest in building a solid foundation to help support you down the line. As you build muscle, you provide yourself with a solid skeletal base which can help combat issues related to bone health. The better you maintain, the easier it will be to keep physically supporting yourself.
More to eat
Many assume that when it comes to losing weight, you have to begin cutting down or cutting out meals. When it comes to strength training though, nutrition is very important. This means consuming between 3-6 meals, depending on how you like your meals. Protein consumption is especially important, think chicken, eggs, almonds. While you have a license to eat, do keep in mind that it is always about eating the right foods. This means stay away from sugary, processed items and opt for meals where you hit the big macronutrients, carbohydrates, protein and fat, and do so as organically as possible.
A bigger burn
It is simple – as you increase your lean muscle mass, you will have more muscles working and contracting, burning calories more effectively. This holds for when you carry out any exercise activity, be it sitting, standing, walking, or even sleeping!
And if you
are worried about bulking up, keep in mind that one pound of muscle takes up around half the space that a pound of fat does, so even if the numbers inch up on the weight scale, it does not matter as long as your composition on the inside is more muscle.
Quality Zzs
It has long been proven that exercise and sleep are a match made in heaven but recently, research has found that the type of exercise you carry out has somewhat specific effects too.
The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that lifting weights in the morning allows for tuck-in time to be moved up 45 minutes, while training in the evening improves the quality of sleep – who needs melatonin or a warm bath?
Hello strength, hello confidence
One of the best feelings in the world is accomplishing something someone says you cannot. A similar feeling is being able to take care of yourself. Lifting a gallon of water, carrying heavy grocery items, depositing your own luggage, carrying your kids like toddlers or helping support another person – all these abilities help you become more independent. You do not have to do things alone of course, but it feels good to know that you can should you need to. Knowing this is enough to give you an extra boost of confidence and whoever says no to more of that?
