Why All Women Should Do Strength Training
Weight training includes any muscle-strengthening activity, whether that be with hand weights, resistance bands, body weights or barbells.
It has many proven health benefits. Aside from increasing strength and muscle tone it also improves bone density, joint health and reduces your risk of diabetes and osteoporosis. In addition, women who strength train tend to experience less pain in their joints, allowing them to move more freely and stay active throughout their golden years.
Weight training will affect different people’s physique in different ways depending on a range of factors. For women, developing a bodybuilder’s physique is unlikely unless that is what you are striving for.
Here are five reasons to start weight training now.
Stop muscle wastage
Women begin to lose muscle mass from as early as the age of thirty. Over time this leads to reduced strength, weight gain and increased risk of osteoporosis. Strength training can not only prevent the loss of muscle mass but can help to regain muscle mass once it is already lost. That means it’s never too late to start strength training.
Improve your bone density
Weight-bearing exercise helps to keep your bones strong. Osteoporosis Australia recommends looking after your bones by regularly engaging in muscle-strengthening activities that become more challenging over time. This is especially important for women as we are at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis, and the risk increases as we age.
Strong foundations
Starting weight training when you are young lays a strong, stable foundation for when you age. You may not be worried about ‘having a fall’ now but in a few decades time, the work you have done now will help you to avoid falls and their impact on your health.
Speed up your metabolism
Increasing your muscle mass helps to boost your resting metabolic rate which helps with weight loss. A higher resting metabolic rate means you burn more energy throughout the day while you are not exercising.
Reduce your risk of diabetes
What training can help reduce the risk of developing you to manage Type 2 Diabetes, and help sufferers manage their condition. According to Diabetes Australia, a higher metabolism, due to increased lean muscle mass, helps your body keep blood glucose levels in check. In addition, a lower fat-to-muscle ratio reduces the amount of insulin you need in your body.
Doing regular muscle strengthening activities twice a week has a number of health benefits. And, it turns out, transforming into the Hulk isn’t a likely outcome. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started.
