As we get older, we tend to gain weight. With jobs, families and other responsibilities, the motivation to exercise wanes. When we do decide to get in shape, we focus primarily on cardio exercises. However, weight training should not be overlooked.
Weight training helps with losing weight and also trims and tones your body. Regardless of age, weight training can improve your body strength within a short period of time.
To successfully fight body fat, a weight loss plan should include aerobic exercise and weight training. Aerobic exercise burns fat during the exercise, while weight training burns fat following exercise. In fact, the body is said to burn fat for up to as much as twelve hours after finishing a weight training session.
But that is not the end of the story.
A body full of muscle uses far more calories than a body full of fat. And don’t worry about bulking up like a body builder. It is rare for females to respond to weight training by gaining excessive muscle mass. Women simply don’t have the hormonal balance to build too much muscle mass. So, don’t be afraid to lift weights. It will not “bulk you up” (as long as your calorie intake is at or below your maintenance level).
Some additional benefits of weight training are:
1. It helps strengthen your bones. Weight training helps increase bone density and lowers your risk of developing osteoporosis.
2. It helps with weight management. As you build muscle through weight training, your body becomes more efficient at burning calories, even while you are at rest.
3. It lowers risk of injury. Building muscle helps protect your joints and ligaments from injury as well as increases your flexibility and balance, which can help reduce the likelihood of falls.
Probably the most added benefit of weight training is that it helps you to look and feel better than ever before. Just remember to change your routine around every six weeks or so. Once the body learns how to work efficiently with the same routine, you will stop seeing any weight or body changes.
So, have fun and start weight training to lose weight and tone your body today!
If you need a good place to get started, check out Jennifer Nicole Lee’s recent ebook, “How to Look Like a Fitness Model Without Being One.” The Fitness Model Program is a comprehensive guide to help you achieve fitness, weight loss and lifestyle goals.