My top 10 reasons to lift weights
I can easily think of at least 10 more but here is a solid list to get you thinking
1. Decrease your risk of heart disease through exercise by increasing blood flow around the heart and raising your level of HDL (or “good”) cholesterol. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for in the United states, so get active to avoid becoming a statistic! Studies are now showing that lifting weights has an incredible benefit to heart health and just as effective as cardiovascular exercise for protecting against heart attacks and strokes. I believe in the next few years you will see a huge increase in the awareness of the benefits of strength training for the heart.
While on the subject of the heart…the heart is a muscle and can be trained to be more efficient. Test it for yourself, take your resting heart rate tomorrow morning and then test it again after 4 weeks of lifting weights to see how much more efficient it has become.
2. Strength training boosts your immune system response by producing cells that attack bacteria, so you can arm your body’s defense system a little better. Healthy cells can lead to quicker healing.
3. Endorphins produced by physical activity have been shown to effectively improve your mood and decrease incidences of depression. Exercise is important not only for your physical health, but also for your mental well-being. This applies to all age ranges from kids to seniors, mental health is a huge issue and I am a true believer that fitness can be a game changer for anyone struggling with depression and anxiety.
4. Your lung capacity can increase with regular exercise, the lungs are pretty crucial to us so perhaps training them to work better could be a benefit! We are talking about strength training here though not marathon running that’s not what I am suggesting or advocating for, simply just resistance exercise WILL improve your lung function.
5. exercise can reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 60%! Since many breast tumors thrive on estrogen, and estrogen can be stored in body fat, reducing the amount of fat your body stores will help protect you. Strength training is sending a signal to your body to increase lean tissue which is helpful is ramping up your metabolism.
6. Exercise can help alleviate menstrual cramps, for those few days of the month you don’t need to push as hard but just getting moving by going for a hike or doing some mobility can really help.
For the fellas, the BEST way to keep your testosterone high is to lift weights and eat foods that are full of nutrition. (Stay away from those testosterone pills you see marketed to you, they will do more harm than anything)
7. A combination of exercise, proper nutrition and hydration helps improve digestive health and keeps things moving in the right direction. Your gut bacteria and colon will thank you!
8. Regular strength training promotes bone density, which means stronger bones and a decreased risk of osteoporosis! This one is not recognized as much as it needs to be however go ahead and count the number of osteoporosis medications are on the market. Start young with weight bearing exercise and keep that going because science cant beat that
9. Reduce your likelihood of developing joint pain with weight bearing exercise which thickens cartilage in your joints, which then acts as a cushion to prevent pain from wear and tear.
10. Last but not least,– exercise can reduce your risk of diabetes. Exercise causes the body to process glucose faster, which lowers blood sugar and improves insulin sensitivity, so people with type 2 diabetes can benefit from a regular exercise routine.
MAKE THIS TIME FOR YOURSELF, START TO SLOWLY BUILD IT INTO YOUR LIFE LIKE YOU WOULD WITH ANY HABIT CHANGE
If you are doing inconsistent workouts or nothing right now then 1 day a week consistently for a few weeks is amazing, often we have lofty expectations for ourselves that are unsustainable to meet and just lead to defeat. I always ask people how many days can you commit to working out? When they say 5 I might say ok let’s try 3 and when they say 3 might say let’s shoot for 1 and if you get another day in that’s a bonus.
AT Fitness You Can Live With I offer numerous ways to get you into strength training and habit change around making healthy changes
ONE ON ONE IN PERSON SESSIONS AVAILABLE
VIRTUAL TRAINING SESSIONS AVAILABLE
IN PERSON HEALTH COACHING SESSIONS AVAILABLE
ONLINE CUSTOM WORKOUT PROGRAMMING AVAILABLE WITH THE FITNESS YOU CAN LIVE WITH APP
FOLLOW ALONG INSTAGRAM LIVE WORKOUTS EVERY SATURDAY MORNING AT 10AM
You can always follow me on Instagram, facebook and you tube for daily and weekly new content and see what I am up to!
STAY HEALTHY AND GIVE ME SHOUT OF HOW STRENGTH TRAINING HAS BEEN HELPFUL TO YOU
