Strong is Sexy

Ladies, this entry is especially for you. Though much of the information transcends gender, women tend to have a hang up about lifting weights. 

How many ladies out there are guilty of thinking the exact thing in the picture above? I hope by now, you realize that strength training will not turn you into a she-hulk any time in the near future! This is such a bad myth! Strength training will get you the muscle you want that will burn fat while you sit at your desk all day, it will help build bone density, help your metabolic rates, help with your cardiovascular health, and the list goes on and on and on! Get ready to transform  your mentality and your bodies as well!

 

Now that was a lot of thumbnails to get my points across quickly and easily! There are so many benefits to lifting weights. The basic break down is that it does these AMAZING things for you:

1. It builds muscle and burns fat. Who wouldn't love that?!?!

2. It burns calories and boosts your metabolic rate! NICE!

3. Muscle burns lots of calories while you're resting! At your desk, on the couch, muscle will be burning that fat away!

4. Being stronger will help you in your everyday life!

5. Your body burns calories even after you're done working out!

6. Stronger bones!

7. Metabolism slows with age, but you can help that by strength training!

8. It helps with your posture

9. Lowers blood pressure

10. Helps prevent injuries. If you're strong, you're less likely to get injured doing something silly

11. Increases balance and coordination. Who doesn't need help in this department as we get older?

12. Keeps diabetes away!

13. Improves your heart health. We need healthy hearts to live longer!

14. Strengthens your joints, tendons and ligaments. 

15. Releases endorphins and makes you feel HAPPY! 

16. Keeps you mentally alert 

17. Boosts your energy

This is the short and to the point list, but there is some amazing information in the full list I got this from. CLICK HERE to see the full article! As if those reasons weren't enough, lets delve in deeper!

People of all ages can pick up some weights and get started. You don't have to go into the gym and surround yourself with the beefcake men that seem to have inflated their arms and chests before coming to the gym that day. You can do these things in the comfort of your own home, or even better, with a friend! Having a friend to workout with will help keep you on track, hold you accountable, and is also way more fun! You don't have to start out with heavy weights, but taking that step to get started will only benefit you and your overall health. Here are two sources that will help out my beginner readers. CHECK ME and CLICK HERE for two great beginning resources. These will also help those who have been out of the game for a bit!

Now hopefully we've kicked the whole lifting weights is just for boys mentality and we are embracing the opportunity to improve your health! Another bit of information that I found interesting is this:

Lifting weights can even count as cardio. "The idea that you have to separate the two is an old-school notion," says Jill Coleman, MS, former figure competitor "The new way is faster, more intense workouts that combine weight training and cardio." In other words, you can lift weights faster to build strength and get breathless at the same time.

CLICK HERE for the rest of this AMAZING article! It is WELL worth the read!!!!!!!

I was even of that old school mentality that you have to have the cardio too. I do go to the gym and work out pretty hard, and I definitely work up a sweat, and get my heart rate up. Doing separate cardio seems silly. Separate cardio has its benefits as well, but it isn't going to make or break you. Another important thing to note, is that cardio alone will not get you the benefits you are dreaming of. Cardio, as it states in it's name is great for your heart. Movement  is obviously good for your muscles, but strength training will give you that overall health boost you've been looking for. 

When I started back really working out, I was working out with a trainer. I was so out of shape! WOW! I would get done working out and have to almost crawl back to the car! In the beginning, I was only using light weights. I think I took 5lb weights to that first class. As time went on, and I got stronger, I bumped up my dumb bell weights, and was up to 20 pounds on many exercises. I took the large amounts of knowledge with me, and continue to utilize the things I learned in my everyday workouts. I do go to the gym, and am sometimes surrounded by beefcakes, but I don't really care. They don't really intimidate me because I know I will not look like them, nor do I want to! I know that as I continue to lift and work hard, I am building muscle and that is benefiting so many aspects of my health. I shoot the meat heads a "hello" glance, and go about my business. When it boils down to it, we are all there for the same thing; to be healthy. The first day I went back to the gym, I saw this petite girl sit down on the leg press. I was interested to see how much weight she would stack on there. I couldn't believe my eyes when she put four 45 pound weights on either side of the bar (that's 360lbs for anyone counting!) There was no way she was going to lift that! I could see she had pretty toned legs, but that weight was insane! She jumped on that thing and busted out 4 sets at that weight! I was impressed! Seeing someone of normal stature, who had nice tone to her physique only solidified the fact that women can be strong and sexy and lift a lot of weight! It was something that inspired me to work my butt off in the gym each day. I have even actually recently found my bicep! I wasn't sure it was in there, but after scratching my arm in the middle of teaching the other day, it is indeed there! Showing itself to the world! I kind of stopped mid-sentence in the middle of a science lesson because I was so surprised that my bicep was showing itself!  :) Thanks strength training! I am seeing my results after a couple months and couldn't be happier. The key is to not give up when you don't see immediate results. In a world of instant gratification, we find it hard to wait for things. This my friends is worth the wait. Keep up the hard work, and the results will come (not only externally, but internally as well!)

There are so many resources out there to help you get started on  your strength training journey! I have learned so much by talking to trainers, talking to other people working out, and doing my research. 

Throw those absurd fears of lifting weights out the window ladies, and lets get our bodies in tip top shape!