Newsflash! Women Need to Weight Train, too.

Depression. Insomnia. Cellulite. Muscle Loss. Back Pain. Arthritis. High Blood Pressure. High Cholesterol. Osteoporosis. Heart Disease.

If all 10 of these common female problems sound about as fun as an enema, you should weight train. The benefits of strength training, at any age, are way more than just a tight tuches. Increased strength, reduced body fat, improved athletic performance, and decreased health risks like the ones listed above. Looking good is just a bonus. You’ll also have more energy and sleep better, too.

The belief that weight training will make a woman look like Lou Ferrigno is B.S. Men produce 10 to 30 times more testosterone than women. It just isn’t possible. It also isn’t possible for you to get the body you really want with cardio alone. Cardio only burns calories while you’re doing the workout. After a few weeks of the same old workout, your body will begin burning less calories and you’ll quickly plateau.

Your muscle determines your metabolism. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn throughout the day and even while you sleep. For each pound of muscle you gain, you can burn up to 50 calories more every day. Keep it up for 10 weeks and you can kiss another pound goodbye! Here’s more: strengthening lower back muscles can eliminate lower back pain and adding muscle helps support your bones, which means less breaks, better bone density, and stronger joints. That sounds sweeter than a Godiva bar!

Weight training doesn’t have to mean an expensive gym membership and overdosing on protein. You can do it at home and save the egg whites for breakfast.

Here is a 30-minute workout to get you going. If you are a beginner, you can do this set once, and if you are a little more advanced you can repeat it twice. Do this 3 times a week at home with a couple of dumbbells, a chair and a yoga mat:
Start by stretching your soon-to-be buff muscles. Raise your arms above your head and across your chest to stretch them out. Get into lunge position and switch to stretch both legs. Bend over and touch your toes to stretch your Hamstrings. Then, run in place or jump rope for 3 minutes. Now you’re limber!

25 Wide-Leg Squats
25 Squat and Kick (alternate legs)
25 Bent Over Reverse Flys
25 Overhead Tricep Extension

25 Side Leg Extensions (alternate legs)*
25 Reverse Lunges (alternate legs)
25 Tricep Dips on chair
25 Bicep Curls sitting on chair

Cool down:
Stand up, raise your arms above your head then bend your knees slightly and place your hands on the back of your ankles or calves.
Return to standing position and spread your legs wide. Raise your arm above your head and lean to one side. Switch.
Put your hands behind your back and link your fingers. Bend forward and pull your arms up as far as you can.

*Here you can hold on to the chair for balance.

For more workout tips and information go to our website at http://www.meetsima.com

Peace and Muscles,
Sima