When it comes to lifting weight and going to the gym, many people associate it as more of a man thing to do, but sorry boys, women are on the prowl and invading your territory! Unlike men, wanting to bulk up and look beefy is far from most women’s goals, but more studies are showing that the health and fitness benefits of lifting are outweighing just doing cardio and sit-ups for that perfect body we are all striving for.
Disclaimer:It is always important to lift the appropriate weights for your strength and health while using correct technique to avoid injury.
Gain strength without bulking up.
Most women are not looking to go to the extremely of the body building women because we just want to tone and lose fat, but lifting can actually tone your body without giving you that bulking look. And the great part about building strength is that larger muscles burn more calories and burning calories ultimately adds up to weight loss.
Reduce risk of injury.
Women are not always the most graceful humans, especially when we put on some of those black high heels. Lifting can actually help strengthen muscles that running leaves out, giving you better balance, strength, and a better chance of being a lot sturdier.
Improve posture and reduce back pain.
Not all women, but a portion of women are blessed/cursed with having large girls that can cause them some back issues. Lifting can help tone your chest and back muscles, which helps to improve your posture and can actually reduce some of your back pain that you suffer from. There is also a small possibility that you can lose some of that extra boobage from fat and weight loss.
Lose more belly fat compared to cardio.
Despite what some women think, running endless on the treadmill followed by sit-ups, is not the best way to burn abdominal fat and get the flat stomach that we all dream of. Due to building up your muscles on your body and using your core, you can burn more calories faster.
Enhance mood and reduce stress.
Why would your man not want you to have a better mood and be less stressed out?! Let’s face it, we are constantly stressing over so many different things in our lives including, jobs, children, family, money, and our self-image. Lifting even three times a week for an hour can help boost your mood immediately all while helping you get your frustrations and stress out of your body. You are taking something negative and putting it to good use, and allowing it to push you closer to your goal of a better, healthier body.
Help your body continue to burn more calories even after your workout.
Due tolifting actually building up your body’s own metabolism, you can make sure thatyou are building lean muscle and increasing the calories you are burning longafter you leave the gym. It also helps your body process and burn thefood that you are eating, which makes weigh loss a lot easier compared tohaving a metabolism of a slug.
Help prevent diseases that women are most effected by.
Lifting is a huge preventative when it comes to osteoarthritis, heart disease, and depression and anxiety which women are more likely to have compared to men. Whether it is building up the muscles of your heart, helping your joints stay strong and fluid, or releasing tension and feel good hormones, lifting not only makes your body look better on the outside, it helps you feel better on the inside.
See more articles on Facebook!