This month, we’re kicking off the new year by focusing on fitness and the four types of exercises your body needs! I’ll take you through all four types this month – which are Strength, Endurance, Balance, and Flexibility. This week we’ll start with Strength!
Gone are the days when strength training is just for the pro body builders. Science has proven time and time again that our muscles do more for us than just allow us to lift heavy things - but, ooh baby, that is a bad ass part of it!
WHAT IS STRENGTH TRAINING?
Strength training (or sometimes referred to as resistance training) is a type of exercise that causes your muscles to contract against an outside resistance....
Now that resistance can come in the form of your own body weight, weight machines, dumbbells, resistance bands, etc....
Heck, you can even use a backpack filled with books you always said you'd read one day, your giant dog or your children....careful with the last one, they are fidgety little things!
WHY STRENGTH TRAINING IS YOUR NEW SUPERPOWER
You Get to Eat More 😋
That's right, more. Lifting weights or using resistance while training means saying forever goodbye to spirit crushing diets and hello to more protein, fats and glorious carbs! Muscles need a whole heck of a lot of fuel to function and be maintained and that means REAL food full of flavour and nutrition.
You'll Be a Shape Shifter 🏋️♀️
Cardio is great and it can help you lose weight but it does not create definition on your body. Strength training will change the shape of your body! You'll develop all the right curves in all the right places. Want nice, defined arms? Lift heavy! Want a shaped booty? Lift heavy! Weight lifting adds all the finishes touches to your masterpiece, all the fine details.
Build Armour For Your Bones 💪
Frailty and mobility loss are not an actual part of aging - they are the side effects of muscle loss. Your body literally needs muscle to be strong and move itself. Weight training gives you the power to build an armour for your bones and helps prevent bone loss as well as keep balance and stability. This means you can age gracefully as a warrior!
You'll Burn More Calories at Rest✨
With muscles comes a super power - your body can burn more calories and fat while you sit around doing nothing! Holy Metabolism, Batman! This is the "afterburn" effect where calories are burned at a higher rate after you've stopped exercising and it can last up to 72 hours after you've ended your workout.
It's Pretty Bad-Ass 😎
Last but not least - it's just frigging bad-ass! Strength training can raise your self-esteem and confidence just from the sheer act of doing things you were always told you couldn't! It's like drinking a can of whoop ass - groceries from the car in one trip, no problem....two kids - two arms, no problem! It let's you appreciate your body for what it can do instead of just what it looks like.
If more science-y talk is your thing (cool nerd alert).... Strength training gives you:
Increased muscle mass: helps to maintain muscle strength and function and improve general physical function
Stronger bones: helps reduce the risk of bone fractures
Joint flexibility: can reduce symptoms of stiffness and arthritis
Weight control: can help to manage your weight
Helps to control your blood sugar
Have I convinced you yet?? Come lift heavy things with me! Stick around this week, I'll be posting a workout video for strength training!
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