Why EVERY woman should weight train
I truly believe that every single woman should do some sort of weight training.
But as I have stated on this blog many times, it is not about what I “believe,” it is about what current research supports.
And current research supports the statement that EVERY single woman, no matter age, race, blood type, or experience, should incorporate some form of resistance training into their routine.
Whether you love to exercise or hate movement.
We all do things every day that we hate. We do them because we know it's good for us.
And the research shows that weight training is good for you. It helps you prolong your life and make sure that life is a quality one.
Weight training should be a part of your routine just like brushing your teeth.
Why? Because the scientific evidence supporting the benefits for weight training is OVERWHELMING.
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why:
Weight training burns more fat. I won’t go into details here as I have written more extensive posts on this topic but it bears repeating that research has shown that weight training signals your body specifically to burn fat as a fuel source. If you are looking to change your body composition and burn off more fat than weight training should be part of your plan.
Weight training prevents muscle LOSS. Most of us know that weight training is the means by which you can build muscle, but it is also the means by which you maintain that muscle once you have built it. And muscle maintenance is important- specifically for women. Both women and men begin to lose muscle mass as early as the age of 30 at the rate of 3-8% every decade. This may not seem like a lot, but without any intentional efforts to improve or maintain the muscle mass you have, this means a loss of 15-24% of your muscle mass by the time you reach your 60’s and 70’s after which that rate of loss begins to accelerate. This means that at the age when you need that muscle mass to maintain movement and good health the most- you are losing it the fastest. If you are concerned about aging well and living long then weight training in some form should be a #1 priority.
Weight training is the key component to preventing and reducing osteoporosis/osteopenia. Weight training (providing a stress load that is to bones greater than that which is experienced in daily life) provides a healthy “stress” on your bones that triggers your body to strengthen your bones for its perceived “future use.” This slows bone loss and increases bone mineral density therefore slowing or preventing entirely the development of osteoporosis. Again, if aging well is your primary concern than weight training needs to be first on your training agenda.
Weight training has also been shown to improve cognition in older adults, improve sleep quality, reduce fatigue, and help manage chronic pain.
Exercise has also been shown to reduce PMS symptoms in active women, lead to shorter labor durations in pregnant women, faster recovery for postpartum mothers, as well as improve cognitive capacity in babies while in utero.
