As women, we tend to focus our exercise around cardio. Walking, running, swimming… these seem to be what we gravitate towards. But what if I told you why women need to do resistance exercises. Would you give it a try?
Why Women Need To Do Resistance Exercises
There is a common misconception that cardio burns fat, but really, the combination of cardio AND strength training does the trick. Increased muscle boosts your metabolism.
When we reach menopause, it becomes even more apparent in why women need to do resistance exercises. Postmenopausal women should focus on resistance exercise, because the decrease in estrogen causes bone loss for a period of time. By following through with regular resistance exercises, we can reduce the effects of the estrogen drop and even reverse the bone loss which causes osteoporosis. So let’s get into good habits now!
From emedicinehealth,com, ‘Resistance training is any exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance with the expectation of increases in strength, tone, mass, and/or endurance. The external resistance can be dumbbells, rubber exercise tubing, your own body weight, bricks, bottles of water, or any other object that causes the muscles to contract.’
A fun way to work this into your routine is to take a class at a local health club with a friend! But resistance training can easily be done in the comfort of your own living room. Just pop in a DVD and let that be your guide!
Check out more Exercise Ideas on our Happiness Matters Pinterest page.
Here is also a list of the top 5 exercises you can do that don’t require anything special!
I use my resistance bands every morning to strengthen my arms. Thanks for the tips.
So true!! So true!! I am 66 and have arthritic knees. The resistance training that I do at our local YMCA strengthens muscles that keep my knees aligned and injury-free. Lifting weights for upper body helps to maintain alignment in the spine and shoulders — so important.
A lot of points in this post that we should know as to why women need to do some resistance exercises. This would be a huge help. Thanks for sharing this great article.