10 Weight Lifting Benefits for women

There are 10 more reasons to lift weights for women. If you think that women are not supposed to or not designed to lift weights, think again! Those 10 reasons might convince you otherwise and might encourage you to sign up for gym membership or start working out at home today:

1. Effective Fat Loss
Fat loss is possible not only with dieting and cardio as the majority might think, but also during and after weight lifting. And by weight lifting I don’t mean very heavy weight lifting. Light to moderate weights will do fine too with higher repetitions per set (30 or more). After weight training your body continues using additional oxygen known as the term EPOC (post-exercise oxygen consumption). That oxygen consumption helps you to burn calories hours or sometimes even days after the workout. When the body is using more oxygen it increases caloric expenditure and metabolic rate.

2. More caloric burn
The more you move and more contractions per day you make the more your body burns calories throughout the day. For instance, if you lead a sedentary life you don’t make enough contractions per day to burn calories that you’ve consumed from food. But if you did strength training, then contractions per day are much higher and you have a higher chance to burn excess calories per day.

3. Curvy body
Burning daily calories and building more muscles helps women to lean out. And the female body begins to look more curvy. Endurance training helps to loose fat tissues and build muscle mass. If a woman decides to just stick to cardio training she might lose both fat and muscle tissues.

4. Quality sleep
Using up your daily energy has its benefits in the form of good night sleep. Strength and endurance training can not only improve your physique, but also helps to fall asleep faster, sleep deeper and be awake less during the night.

5. Increase in energy
Post workout has its perks in the form of not only elevated levels of endorphins in the body (see point 9 of this text), but also in the form of increased energy. According to the National Institute of Health, studies have shown that even by doing light resistance training sessions, energy balance increases and it helps oxidize the fat. Try to do a workout routine early in the morning and it might replace your morning coffee ritual.

6. Healthy Heart
The American Heart Association acknowledged that lifting weights does benefit your heart health. Heart health does involve other indicators such as blood pressure, triglycerides levels, waist circumference and glucose level. Those indicators play an important role in our body as they involve arteries and veins that pump blood in and out through the heart.

7. Bone Health
Bone mass is usually greatly lost at menopause age and that can lead the bones to become weak and breatle. Weight lifting can significantly improve bone health and prevent osteoporosis.

8. Stress management
Exercise itself is a great way to manage stress. Besides that people who exercise more often can handle and manage stressful situations better than ones who don’t exercise.

9. Endorphins Boots
At some point in our lives you have probably heard of endorphins but not always knew what they do to your body. Endorphins are neurotransmitters that improve mood, prevent pain and enhance pleasure. Endorphins are released when exercise is prolonged and the intensity is moderate to high (breath becomes heavy). Interesting fact is that acupuncture releases endorphins too.

10. Mind Alertness
Weight lifting improves alertness and stimulates the mind. Healthy body can lead to a healthy mind through consistency and the right diet.

Becoming or being strong, not just emotionally but physically, does feel empowering. Having enough energy to take care of kids and spending quality time with them does require strength. Dealing with a stressful situation or career does require strength. Resistance training can benefit women in all aspects of their life. Feeling confident, strong and healthy is important.

Please consult your physician before you begin any weight lifting exercises.