Few women need to be convinced that exercise is good for them. Yet many women find it very difficult to make exercise part of their lives. The reasons for not exercising abound. I'm too tired. I don't have time. It's too cold/hot/rainy outside. A gym membership is too expensive. I've tried exercise before, but I didn't lose weight. I can't get motivated. You get the picture.
New research, however, suggests that just two weekly, one-hour dates with weights can have important positive health benefits for overweight and obese premenopausal women.
Investigators randomly placed 164 women into one of two groups: (1) a treatment group, where women were taught a stretching and weight-lifting routine that included both machines and free weights; and (2) a non-treatment group, where women were mailed an informational brochure from the American Heart Association on the recommended 30-minutes daily of moderate exercise. Both groups were told not to change their eating habits, and they were followed for two years.
Although the women in the treatment group did not lose weight, they did experience changes in their body composition. The women had less total body fat, a lower overall percentage of body fat, and less abdominal/mid-section fat. Further, the women who did not lift weights actually showed increases in total body fat, in the ratio of body fat to lean body mass, and in abdominal fat. The increase in belly fat is particularly concerning, because it is associated with higher risk for cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders, including the metabolic syndrome.
The investigators suggested that strength training can help to slow weight gain and the development of obesity in women, which is on the rise. If you currently exercise but do not strength train, you might think about adding weights to your weekly routine - especially if you are overweight. Here are some weight training tips from the Mayo Clinic, as well as a slide show of strengthening exercises for major muscle groups. And for those of you who do not exercise at all, check with your doctor. Once you get the okay, there are a number of reliable resources to get you moving. And as for those excuses...
New research, however, suggests that just two weekly, one-hour dates with weights can have important positive health benefits for overweight and obese premenopausal women.
Investigators randomly placed 164 women into one of two groups: (1) a treatment group, where women were taught a stretching and weight-lifting routine that included both machines and free weights; and (2) a non-treatment group, where women were mailed an informational brochure from the American Heart Association on the recommended 30-minutes daily of moderate exercise. Both groups were told not to change their eating habits, and they were followed for two years.
Although the women in the treatment group did not lose weight, they did experience changes in their body composition. The women had less total body fat, a lower overall percentage of body fat, and less abdominal/mid-section fat. Further, the women who did not lift weights actually showed increases in total body fat, in the ratio of body fat to lean body mass, and in abdominal fat. The increase in belly fat is particularly concerning, because it is associated with higher risk for cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders, including the metabolic syndrome.
The investigators suggested that strength training can help to slow weight gain and the development of obesity in women, which is on the rise. If you currently exercise but do not strength train, you might think about adding weights to your weekly routine - especially if you are overweight. Here are some weight training tips from the Mayo Clinic, as well as a slide show of strengthening exercises for major muscle groups. And for those of you who do not exercise at all, check with your doctor. Once you get the okay, there are a number of reliable resources to get you moving. And as for those excuses...
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