Why Fitness Training is Important for Women

While a lot of women are active, there are many women who lead a sedentary lifestyle, it has become the modern way. More and more jobs require sitting in front of a computer which can cause lack of motivation along with other health issues.

The thought of exercise after a long day at work is not what most women look forward to. Going to the gym takes effort and discipline and something that a lot of women tend to put off.

Working out regardless of the activity is something every woman should consider.

Why? Because it can have a positive impact on your overall health and can lead to a better quality of life.

What happens when you don’t exercise?

Lack of activity can lead to many different health issues, sure, genetics can play a role in how long we live, but why risk it, daily exercise can make you feel better and contribute to better health. What medical science knows is that when we do not exercise we can begin to experience several health issues.

Regardless of your age, a sedentary lifestyle can have some side effects that are not pleasant.

Common problems include:

You tire easily, this is one of the most common side effects from lack of exercise, I’m sure many women have experienced being sedentary for several days, however, you don’t realize how out of shape you are until you climb a flight of stairs or carry a load of groceries. Lack of exercise can make even the easiest tasks seem difficult.

When people are sedentary it affects your lungs, your hearts pumping capacity and blood circulation.

Regular exercise can improve overall cardiovascular health and improve lung capacity.

Regular exercise makes it easier for your body to get oxygen into your lungs and heart.

How can you improve lung and heart health?

Any kind of brisk exercise can help prevent you from being out of breath, a 45-minute walk or jog 4–5 times a week can make a big difference in improving cardiovascular health and lung capacity.

If you don’t like to walk or job there are other activities you can do like ride a bicycle or join a gym, most of them have stationary bikes, stair climbers and elliptical machines that can help you improve your conditioning, not only will you feel better, you will have more energy throughout the day.

Your metabolism slows to a crawl, this is one of the biggest issues women have, like it or not as we get older our metabolism becomes slower, this is just part of the aging process.

One of the best ways to boost your metabolism is to exercise, lifting weights along with some cardiovascular exercise can help speed up your body’s metabolism. There have been countless studies that show that resistance training [efn_note]https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/hde/research/RMR_poster_Manikowske.pdf[/efn_note]can actually increase your resting metabolic rate.

You have problems sleeping, this affects a lot of women, tossing and turning at night can be prevented with just an hour of exercise every day. Studies have shown [efn_note]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945710002868?via%3Dihub[/efn_note]that regular exercise can help improve sleep patterns.

What you should know is that it takes more than occasional exercise to notice sleep benefits, however, if you workout 4–5 times a week you should notice improved sleep.

Lack of exercise can make you more prone to injury, a lot of women suffer minor injuries that can range from a pulled muscle or a pinched nerve after the slightest bit of physical activity. Some women will notice muscle soreness after spending a day gardening or doing household chores.

Staying active can help prevent injury, our bodies were meant to stay in motion. When you exercise you keep your body prepared for constant movement this way you can do more without feeling fatigued.

In order to keep your body in good condition exercise is important, you can prevent injury and prevent all those subtle aches and pains.

One overlooked health benefit of staying active is that it has positive long term effects that can help prevent osteoarthritis and osteoporosis which affects many women as they get older.

Women who are not physically active often suffer from depression, others may feel sad or suffer from mood swings. Women who don’t exercise tend to feel depressed. There are studies that show that regular exercise can help prevent the onset of depression

You are more prone to stress, stress is something that affects almost everyone. Stress is a natural part of life, however, most women suffer from high levels of stress which is unhealthy.

Women under a lot of stress tend to gain weight quickly. 40% of women claim they experience stress often. Daily exercise can help lower stress along with things that are associated with it including high blood pressure, hormone fluctuations, and muscle tension.

Exercise can contribute to longevity, yes genetics play an important role in lifespan however, some studies have shown that regular exercise can decrease mortality by as much as 30%.

Women who exercise are less prone to many different kinds of disease and have a better chance of living longer.

As you can see there are many health benefits associated with exercise and staying active, fitness is something that should be a part of anyone’s lifestyle. I know what you are thinking, you don’t have time, you feel tired all the time, some women will admit to just being plain lazy. You are not alone, a lot of women feel this way.

So what do you do?

I can’t speak for everyone but I can tell you what has helped me and a lot of my friends. The obstacle I faced was trying to find exercise I could enjoy every day. For me, strength training has suited me the best.

I like being able to see actual benefits from my efforts.

I personally try to jog or walk at least three times a week, but personally, I love lifting weights, what I love about it is being able to see the physical transformations, this includes more strength and more muscle definition.

I love the personal benefits strength training offers and it forces me to challenge myself every day.

The important thing is to pick something you have a passion for, I have friends that love doing Cross Fit, others enjoy spinning, the best thing is to pick something you love, this way you are more inclined to stick with it and keep a regular routine.

If you think a daily fitness routine is not important, think again. I have already covered some of the negative side effects of not being active, so now let’s take a look at the positive side of fitness.

Top Benefits of fitness training for women

Fitness offers all kinds of health benefits and more than what a lot of women think about.

Some of the benefits include:

• Improved cardiovascular health
• Weight loss
• Less body fat
• More confidence
• You sleep better
• More self-confidence

Those are just a few of my favorites but there are more, can you believe that? Well, there are.

Firm and Tone Muscle

There is nothing that looks sexier than toned muscle.

No, lifting weights is not going to give you big bulging muscles, it will, however, give you a lean and sculpted body. While this benefit is good for young women it is even more important for older women. As women age, its harder to maintain muscle, lifting weights will help prevent muscle loss and prevent you from getting weak.

Increase and maintain bone density, not only will strength training give you firm muscle, but it also keeps bones and ligaments strong which is important later on in life. Some studies have shown that strength training can prevent osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

Burn Body Fat

No one wants to carry around excess body fat, if you are not careful it can creep up on you and start to fill out in all the wrong places including your arms, hips, thighs, and stomach.

Lifting weight will help you eliminate body fat, in fact, one research study at Tufts University showed that overweight women who began to incorporate strength training two times a week lost an average of 14.6 pounds of body fat and gained 1.4 pounds of muscle.

Lifting weights help stimulate your bodies metabolism and help burn more body fat even when you rest.

Regulate Blood Sugar Levels

When you lift weights your body is more efficient at using glucose (23% more effective) just 25 minutes of moderate exercise or lifting weights can help reduce blood glucose levels.

Reduce Cellulite

Cellulite buildup is something that a lot of women have problems with, however, exercise is a good way to get rid of it, you can reduce the amount of those unsightly skin dimples with exercise.

Cellulite buildup is caused by fat deposit buildup due to decreased levels of lymph fluid. Lymph fluid contains white blood cells which can reduce cellulite by smoothing the skin. When you workout lymph circulation increases. This helps to eliminate toxins and fat deposits which help reduce cellulite.

Prevent Stress reduce depression

Even if you experience the feeling that working out once in your life you will love the rush it gives you, it helps get the blood pumping and offers a host of benefits that are healthy for your body and mind.

Exercise does not just improve your physical appearance it can also give you more mental clarity and reduce stress.

When you workout you stimulate neurotransmitters which release endorphins, this reduces tension and promotes those feel-good hormones such as dopamine and serotonin, this helps to reduce stress and helps you feel more positive.

Strength training, in particular, can help you unload aggression which can help you feel more accomplished and productive.

Conclusion

Fitness is one of the most important things you can do to help improve your overall and well being, I know it can be hard to get motivated but a little self-motivation can go a long way. If you still struggle with staying motivated try inviting a friend or close relative who shares your same interest, you will be happy that you did.

Click here to learn more about fitness tips and some of of my favorite supplements I use to get in shape.