5 reasons women should lift weights and start incorporating strength training into their fitness routine. It’s not just for physique!

Hey fraands. Happy New Year! ?? I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday. If I am being completely honest… I fell asleep during the MSU football game (yikes ? ) and woke up at 11:30 or so. Then stayed awake until midnight to kiss the hubs, and then we went up to bed. So lame. But no shame ?

Today I’m taking things in a different direction with you all. With new year’s resolutions and goals in full swing, I wanted to share something that I’m hoping you <women> will start incorporating into your fitness routine in 2016: WEIGHT TRAINING.

For those of you that are apprehensive, I feel you. I was that girl in college who would get on the elliptical for 30 minutes, then go and do some 5lb dumbbell curls, ab work, and call it a day. I would look into the weight training room with all of the bulked up guys (I believe I used the term “Steroidal Meat Men” back in the day…), and think “Mmmm, no thank you.” Not only did I feel intimidated by the weight room, I also didn’t think I needed it to accomplish my goals (i.e. fat loss). I thought I would “look like a man” and get bigger if I started lifting heavier weights. But I couldn’t be more wrong. I actually didn’t start seriously incorporating weight training into my fitness routine until a few years ago. And THAT my friends, is when I did actually start seeing some fat loss. Yes, I did clean up my diet a bit so that certainly helped. But I couldn’t have achieved the results I did without some resistance training of some kind. Lifting weights (or resistance training) obviously has more benefits than just helping tone your physique. So I wanted to touch base on some other important factors.

5 Reasons Women Should Lift Weights

HELPS RELIEVE STRESS

So of course all forms of exercise can be a great stress reliever. But when you incorporate weight training, your body has to work that much harder. Upping the intensity of your workout with weights can then increase the production of endorphins ( the feel-good hormone released during exercise). The more endorphins your body releases, the more stress and tension you can kick to the curb.

MORE EFFECTIVE FOR FAT LOSS

If you thought steady-state cardio was superior to weightlifting, think again. Why? Because lifting weights requires the body to consume additional oxygen, hours (sometimes days depending on the intensity) after the workout has been completed. This is known as “excess post oxygen consumption” (EPOC). The higher the intensity of the workout, the greater the EPOC. The more oxygen your body uses, the higher the caloric expenditure.

INCREASES METABOLISM

When you start lifting weights, you increase muscle size, increasing lean body mass. More muscle means higher metabolism, and your body will burn more calories more efficiently. This of course can coincide with fat loss, as long as you’re fueling your body properly.

BONE HEALTH

As women age they have a greater risk for bone and joint issues, due to the body no longer releasing estrogen. To reduce the risk of osteoporosis, women especially should incorporate resistance training into their exercise routine. You can increase bone mass and strengthen the surrounding joints by weightlifting.

BUILDS CONFIDENCE

For those that are already familiar with weightlifting, you know what I’m talking about. That confidence may come in the form of feeling better about your physique, i.e. more muscle definition, better curves. Or you may just feel like a total badass chick when you walk into the weight room and bust out some heavy squats. That confidence can translate to other areas of your life, as well. And in the words of Demi Lavato ?,“What’s wrong with being confident?” ?

So there you have it, five reasons why women should lift weights. And these are just SOME of the benefits of weightlifting. Speaking from personal experience, it feels pretty damn good to lift some heavy things. And when I can tell I’ve gotten stronger, it definitely is a confidence booster for me. I honestly can’t recommend it enough. Anyways, I hope I’ve shared some things with you today to help get you started on your weightlifting journey!

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QUESTION TIME::

For those of you that don’t engage in some form of resistance training, what’s stopping you? Injury? Interest? Not sure where to start?

If you need some help getting started, please comment below and I’d love to see how I can help! If you feel more comfortable with email, contact me at fitmittenkitchen(at)gmail(dot)com.