Cant weight to train
One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting to exercise and follow a nutrition programme is to not include weight training with their cardiovascular exercise.
If you cut out calories without exercising, you could lose muscle as well as fat and when you lose muscle your body becomes a lot less efficient at burning fat. On the other hand, if you gain muscle, you can actually condition your body to burn fat more efficiently – 24 hours a day.
By working your muscles as well as your heart and lungs you can improve your health and drop a clothes size faster. Don’t be disheartened if initially you stay the same weight or gain slightly, muscle weighs more than fat and you will soon see a healthier, slimmer and better toned you.
Don’t put off weight training just because you are not a member of a gym. You don’t have to lift heavy weights above your head or chest press a bus, start by using a tin of baked beans whilst watching your favourite TV programme.
Aerobic exercise such as running or cycling may help you burn those extra calories quickly, but for every pound of muscle you gain through weight training, your body will burn approximately 50 extra calories every day of the week.
Many people believe weight training is just for men, but the benefits are just as great for women. Increased muscle does not mean increased masculinity, as women have very low levels of testosterone their muscles develop differently meaning a little resistance training will not result in a bulky physique.
Resistance training can reduce bone deterioration and build bone mass, preventing osteoporosis. Other benefits of this training include lower blood pressure, reduced body fat, and increased Metabolic Rate, meaning you burn more calories throughout the day.
As we get older, weight training will offer us many health benefits. Did you know that when we reach the age of 30 we lose between 3 and 5% muscle mass per decade? This means day-to-day tasks become harder to perform and slows down your metabolism resulting in an increased risk of weight gain.
Physical activity keeps us alive and vibrant. Strength training ensures we are strong enough to participate in activities and sports. Strong seniors fall down less. If they do fall down, their stronger bodies are more resilient, are injured less by the fall, and are able to heal more quickly after an injury.
Spending 15 – 20 minutes twice a week is enough to gain all the potential benefits of strength training.
If you are interested in getting fit and finding an activity to suit you, take a look around this website for all the options that are right on your doorstep.