For years, I figured the only way I could lose or maintain my weight was through rigorous cardiovascular or aerobic exercise. I would run, climb the stair stepper, or take an aerobics based class for an hour 5 times or more a week. And it worked, kind of. As I grew older though, I started to notice that while I was lean, I was losing strength and several body parts started having a bit of a jiggle where I didn’t want a jiggle :).
Something needed to change.
I started looking for a different answer to stay fit and, I found it — weight lifting or resistance training.
Here’s the thing, cardiovascular exercise is important, but it is only part of the overall fitness equation. Flexibility and weight training are the other part of the equation.
Many people, particularly women, don’t want to weight train for a variety of reasons. But incorporating resistance or weight training into your fitness regime 3 times a week will make a huge difference!
Weight training helps you:
1. Burn fat – With an intense weight training program, your metabolism stays high for several hours helping you burn fat. With cardio workouts, you stop burning fat soon after the workout.
2. Change your body shape – Your body shape isn’t only determined by genetics. Weight training can create new curves, slim you down, and help avoid the “middle-age spread”. If you eat clean with a calorie deficit while building muscle, you reduce body fat – Awesome!
3. Boost your metabolism – Weight training while dieting helps preserve and even rebuild muscle. If you only diet, you are not only losing fat, you are losing muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn in your daily activities.
As we age, we lose muscle, so our metabolism slows. If we continue to rebuild and build muscles, we can keep our metabolism burning strong.
4. Get stronger – Lifting weights improves functional fitness which means everyday tasks become easier. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular weight training can make you 50 percent stronger in 6 months. How cool is that? And ladies, don’t worry about bulking up. We don’t have the hormones needed to create big bulky muscles.
5. Build strong bones – Women that do weight bearing exercise build and maintain bone mass. Muscles get stronger with use and so do bones. Stronger bones and muscles translate into better flexibility and balance – important for all of us as we age.
When you begin weight training, your weight won’t necessarily change quickly, but your body shape will. You will shrink, you will be considerably firmer and your clothes will fit better. Measure your progress with a tape measure or how your jeans fit. So, pick up those weights and start pumping some iron!
My favorite weight lifting programs (click on the program for more information):
LIIFT More (Coming the end of July)