5 Reasons Women Should Lift Weights

There used to be a belief that women should not lift weights. The thought was women would lose the feminine look when they got "muscled up" and bulky. And yes, if you are a female bodybuilder on supplements and steroids, you won't look much different from the men who practice the same weightlifting ideals. But for most women, you are really not likely to get very bulky from lifting weights, as you don't have the same amount of testosterone as men do.

In fact, you really should be lifting weights as a woman, and here are 5 really good reasons why.

1. You'll Burn More Fat

A Penn State study showed what several
other research papers and number crunching fitness experts have revealed. Weight training burns 30% to 40% more fat than diet or aerobic exercise. The Penn State researchers formed 3 groups of dieters:

• Those who did not exercise at all

• Dieters who exercised aerobically

• Those dieters that lifted weights as well as doing aerobic exercise

Across-the-board, an average of 21 pounds was lost by all of the dieters. However, the weightlifting women lost almost pure fat! The dieters who did not exercise, and those that only enjoyed aerobic exercise, saw 25% of their weight loss coming from muscle. Not good.

2. You Will Build Stronger Bones

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Weight resistance training for 12 to 18 weeks delivers bone growth of 15% to 20%. Strength training with weights over time on a consistent basis makes your bones stronger and healthier. This is especially important for women, who suffer a naturally greater tendency for weaker bones and poorer bone density as they age.

3. You Can Wear More Complementary Clothing

We have already seen that weight training is an awesome fat burner. Between the ages of 30 and 50 women lose 10% to 20% of their muscle naturally. Your body weight usually goes up during this time, in the form of fat gain. A consistent weightlifting regimen helps you regulate a healthy waist size, keeping embarrassing fat deposits from limiting your clothing choices.

4. You Will Adopt a More Nutritious Diet

For any number of reasons, it appears that women who work out with weights frequently often improve their diet as well. It just makes sense. When you see and feel yourself becoming stronger, looking sexier and burning fat, you want to keep the process going. Not only does your body burn more calories as a result of a weight training program, but you mentally find it much easier to stick to a nutritious diet when you like the way you look in the mirror.

5. You Will Be More Successful, Productive and Happy

When women lift weights as a part of a healthy lifestyle, they can see the results in the mirror. This makes them feel good about themselves, and exercise even triggers the release of "feel good" chemicals in your brain. As a result of looking and feeling great, you begin to fuel your body with healthy food as opposed to fast food, sugary sweets and processed garbage. All of these steps combine to make you more productive because you are filled with so much natural energy. This leads to success in all areas of your life, and what woman wouldn't be happy with that outcome?