Okay, the holidays are over, the first month of the New Year has officially come and gone, and all of the decorations have been stored for next year’s use. Now that you have a chance to breathe and take a hard look at yourself, you must now ask yourself if you are happy with what you see.   If this is the year you really want to change your body and improve your health, then continue reading.

Now that I have your attention, I am hear to tell you, that the only way you are going to change your body and really improve your health is with exercise.  More specifically, strength training is what you need. Yes, ladies, I said you MUST lift weights. I am not talking about fast paced total body group fitness classes. I am talking about going to a gym and really lifting weights with proper form.

Now before you cry out, I do not want to look like a man, let me dispel many myths associated with women and strength training.

• Myth 1:  Lifting weights will make me bulky and look like a man. Fact:  Women have 10-30 times less of the hormones needed to build muscle as compared to men.  This means, you could lift weights like you were Arnold Schwarzenegger, and still never look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
• Myth 2:  Cardio training is all that is necessary to get in shape and lose weight. Fact: In a study done by Dr. Westcott at the YMCA in Quintin, Massachusetts, women who strength trained 3 sessions per week as compared to those who did cardio only sessions 3 times per week lost 3.5 pounds of fat and gained 2.5 pounds of lean muscle. Muscle burns fat. The more muscle your body has, the more fat your body will burn.  Additionally, for every pound of lean muscle added to the body, the body will naturally burn 35-50 more calories per hour.
• Myth 3:  Strength training will hurt my back. Fact:  With proper form and technique, strength training will not only strengthen your back muscles, but it will also help to alleviate any back pain you may currently be experiencing.
• Myth 4:  Weight training adds too much muscle to my legs and slows me during my distance runs. Fact:  In a study at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia, men and women who strength trained over the course of 10 weeks, along with distance running, were able to shave 2 minutes off of their 3k times. Runners in the same study, who only did endurance training during that 10 week time frame, were only able to shave 1 minute off of their 3k times. Bottom line, the stronger your muscles, the faster you can and will go.

Strength training does not just get you stronger and build bigger muscles. It also improves your bone health. Using weights as part of your daily exercise routine significantly helps to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis. Simply strength training two times per week helps to improve bone mineral density 1% per year. This may not sound like much, but choosing to not lift weights causes one to lose up to 2% of bone mineral density per year.

The facts have been presented, now the choice is yours. Is this the year you finally get that body you always dreamed of having, or is this the year you allow your body to continue to lose bone mineral density. IF you decide that this is the year you become the best that you can be, then please feel free to contact me and we will start you on the path to a healthier and stronger you.