Why Don’t Women Get It?

Amazing it is!  I am still amazed! It is amazing how many people, in particular women, cannot grasp the concepts behind weight training. Because women are more prone to carry fat, they will continue to be frustrated over their weight, especially as they age, until they have mentally gotten a hold of what weight training is and is about. Though we are in the information age, weight training is still misunderstood. To the personal trainer who has successfully educated his or her clients in this area, kudos to you.

Why Weight Training Should be a part of Your Life

The body functions on two systems: aerobic and anaerobic. In its simplest terms, the aerobic system works along with the heart; in the presence of oxygen, it uses glucose or fat for energy. The anaerobic system works with the muscles; it uses glucose (stored in the muscles) for energy without the use of oxygen. The two systems must work together, for you are as healthy as your heart, and the frame of your body is as sturdy as you make it.

What Happens As We Age

Why, of course, we lose muscle and most of us begin to gain more weight in the form of fat.  Though some fat is good in protecting our bones in the case of a fall, muscle is better. Weight training keeps the frame of the house erect. I see many individuals as young as in their twenties with rounded shoulders and a hump back. Thanks to the prolong sitting in front of a computer screen, the need to strengthen the back muscles is becoming one of the most important muscles to work  on.  The formation of a hump back is no longer limited to aging. But this weakness does not have to occur if weight training is in place.

In addition to preserving the structure of the body, the care of the bones becomes, especially, critical to women.  Women are also likely to develop osteoporosis past menopause as estrogen levels decrease. Weight training helps to maintain bone density, and thus prevents fractures.

Why Weight Training Controls Weight and Aids in weight Loss

One day, my twenty-eight year old niece said to me that she finally has brought her hips under control by incorporating squats and lunges into her workout, but now she complained that her legs seem to be getting bulky. I asked her have you ever seen a marathon runner with bulky legs. She said no. I, then, told her to increase her cardio which she had only been doing for 20 minutes. You can lose muscle and fat if exercise is done past the fat burning zone.  Though the objective of a cardio program can be to exercise the heart and/or lose fat, muscle loss also can occur. Therefore, with sufficient cardio “bulking up” should not be an issue for women.

In addition, women normally do not have sufficient testosterone to build eye gawking muscles. However, they do have enough to tone arms– to get rid of the “chicken wings,” or to lift the saggy butt and to create at least the illusion of a breast uplift if plastic surgery is not an option.

Most importantly, weight training increases the metabolism so that the body’s engine continues to be revved up.  The aging process slows down the metabolism. Though we may eat less, we can still gain weight because of a a sluggish system.

So the next time you have a pair of weights, or the next time you are in the gym or about to work out, don’t be afraid to lift the weights. More muscles, more fat burning power. More muscles, stronger bones.  More muscles, a better looking body as you age.