Focus on Strength Training – Get stronger, leaner and Healthier!!!!

Many people focus on cardiovascular exercises when they are trying to lose weight. Strength training is often thought of as making you too “bulky” or “big”. If you want to reduce body fat, increase lean muscle, and burn calories more efficiently, then you need to consider strength training. Strength training is a key component of overall health and fitness for everyone.

Use it or lose it!!

Muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. If you don’t do anything to combat the muscle loss that occurs with aging, you will simply increase the percentage of fat in your body. Strength training can help preserve and enhance your muscle mass, no matter what your age!!

Benefits of strength training:

Control your weight: the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn. So having toned muscles will help you control your weight.
Develop strong bones: when you stress your bones with strength training you increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Increase your stamina: when you become stronger, you won’t fatigue as easily. Building muscle also contributes to better balance, which will help as you age.
Manage chronic conditions: strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions. These conditions include heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, obesity, and back pain.
Sharpen your focus: research suggests that regular strength training can improve attention in older adults.
Improve your sense of well being: resistance training may boost your self confidence, increase your self esteem, improve your body image and improve your mood.

So what are the options:

Strength training can be done at home or in the gym, with or without equipment.

Body weight: you can do several exercises with little or no weights. Try push ups, crunches, planks, or leg squats.
Resistance bands or tubes: this is a very inexpensive way to incorporate strength training. It provides resistance when stretched.
Free weights: dumbbells and barbells are traditional strength training tools.
Weight machines: Most gyms will offer a variety of resistance machines.

Below are some links from youtube for exercises you can do right in your own home or if you have limited mobility.

Women’s upper body exercises with weights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUychjqfO8I

women’s upper body exercises for shoulders, arms and upper back

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRGrcSDhynQ

if you don’t have any equipment women’s upper body workouts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcez1ABNLAo

triceps only exercises

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXzjjMoTR2U

Denise Austin upper body strength workout

Women’s upper body exercises with resistance bands

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urtDryOLLJ0