Should women lift weights? Most definitely

We have all been told to lift weights and improve our muscle mass, but why?

Why should you care, specially since you are not going to be a bikini model, or enter a fitness competition or be the next woman flexing your muscle in a magazine?

You are just a regular wife, sister, mom who simply wants to be healthy right? So, what’s all this talk about muscle? I can see your eyes rolling towards the back of your head; “Really Nat … why the heck do I care about that?”

Well … sit right back and I will tell you a thing or two that you should know. (wink-wink) And then you can decide whether you want to lift weights or not.

1. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories your body will burn during the entire day! Win-Win. We like that.

2. As we age, we lose muscle. Lifting weights can slow the muscle loss.

Build the strength of your muscles and connective tissues, increase bone density and cut your risk of injury. Also, helps to ease arthritis pain. Nobody likes osteoporosis.

3. Lifting weights can also improve balance, reduce the likelihood of falls, improve blood-sugar control and improve your sleep.

4. Weight loss benefits: As I mentioned in No. 1 above. Your body burns more calories throughout the day.

Here’s the deal:

After you lift weights, your body is still burning calories, which is super important if you are trying to lose weight. When you lose weight, up to a quarter of the loss many come from your muscle mass (not good) because that can slow down your metabolism. Lifting weights can help you rebuild any muscle that you have lost during any weird dieting you may have done and can keep you from losing your muscle in the first place.

So ladies, don’t be afraid to lift weights. Trust me: It is good for you.

Natalie Dreger is a certified fitness professional and can be reached at nataliedreger.com. Please feel free to join our email list for free healthy recipes and fitness tips.