Good morning, 

Tip of the day......Over 50's Keep Fit

Do you do any Resistance Training?

As women when exercising one of our main priorities (especially as we age) should be to include some sort of weekly strength and resistance training into our lives.

Why ??? Check out below...

5 Benefits Of Resistance/Weight Training In Women!

Whther you’re in your 20's or over 40 resistance training really is a MUST for us women and even MORE SO if you're at the peri/menopausal/post stage of life.

1. Speeds up metabolism

As we age we slowly lose muscle and the less muscle we have the slower our metabolism becomes.

Hence the middle age spread.

Each decade after 30 our muscles tend to decline by about 3-8 per cent. Muscle has a higher metabolic rate than fat so the more muscle we can maintain the more calories we will  burn not only during exercise but also at rest.

2. Helps shift belly fat.

As we age and start to approach peri-menopause our estrogen and progesterone levels start to drop causing us to become more insulin resistant.

A side effect of insulin resistance is fat storage around the middle.

Lifting weights helps to create more insulin receptors on our muscles helping us to become more sensitive to insulin hence a slimmer waist.

Talking of insulin weight training can also control blood sugar levels in patients with type-2 diabetes a recent research recommends resistance training in the prevention and management of Type-2 diabetes and also what they are now calling type-3 which is the onset of dementia.

3, Increases bone strength

As women age we not only lose muscle but also bone density too which can lead to osteoporosis.

This means we are more prone to injury and bone fractures as we age. We tend to forget that our bones are living too so lifting weights, studies have shown over a period of time we can help prevent bone loss and may even help build new bone.

In one study, postmenopausal women who participated in strength training for a year saw significant increases in their bone density in the spine and hips, areas usually affected most by osteoporosis in older women.

Maintaining strong muscles through weight training helps with our balance and coordination a critical element in preventing falls, which can lead to osteoporosis related fractures

4. Helps with depression & anxiety

Weight training helps increase the production of serotonin our brain hormone that makes us feel good.

Serotonin can lower as we approach or go through the menopause due to the drop in our oestrogen levels which is why a lot of women suffer from low moods and depression at this time of life.

It’s  been found in depressed people that strength training can have twice the mood boosting benefits than just doing aerobic exercise alone.

Studies of depressed patients have also found that those who did strength training improved their sleeplessness - a key symptom of depression - by 30 per cent.

Not only that but another recent study claimed that women who were put on a twice weekly programme of resistance training had a staggering 60 per cent decrease in anxiety levels and lowered levels of irritability in only six weeks.

Anxiety is another issue of the menopause we can suffer with due to the drop in progesterone and how it impacts on the brain.

5. Contours and changes the shape of your body
 

As we age we lose more muscle and gain more fat giving us a squishy and saggy appearance

Please note you may not gain weight necessarily on the scales but where you hold the weight can change. e.g. bingo wings, tummy etc..

Including weight training helps replace the flab with muscle helping to tighten, lift and contour the body compared to aerobic exercise alone.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
And there you have it 5 reasons why you should be including some sort of weight/resistance training into your every day life!

Fancy introducing some resistance training into your life but feel a bit nervous, not sure where to start etc.. then when not come and try one of my fitness classes for FREE?

Let me know if any of this helps in any way. 😁
 

As usual would love your thoughts. 😀

Have a good weekend.

Paula ❤️xx