Why Women Should Lift Weights

by

I have been lifting weights consistently for about 8 years and as a perimenopausal women, I have definitely found strength training to be beneficial. I am aware that my body is changing and that Cardio alone just won’t cut it, here are some of the benefits that I have personally experienced.

The list of benefits that I have provided are also very closely related to the menopause so if you are peri/menopausal or post menopausal, these symptoms will definitely feel familiar!

Disclaimer: This list is by no means exhaustive and your experience may be different to mine.

Increase Bone Density

Improve Mood

Increase Strength

Improve Sleep

Help with period pains

Increase Bone Density

Our bone density starts to decrease once we reach the age of 30 and weight bearing exercise such as walking, running, cycling but especially lifting weights, can help to increase bone density. This significantly reduces the risk of developing osteoporosis and improve our overall quality of life.

Improve Mood

When we exercise, our body releases chemicals called endorphins, also known as happy hormones. This is a natural mood lifter, which can also help with anxiety and depression, and who doesn’t like being in a good mood?!

Increase Strength

Lifting weights consistently will improve your strength, which in turn will improve muscle definition, reduce risk of injury and aid fat/weight loss. It will also improve your quality of life as it will enable you to do more at home e.g. lift heavier items.

Improve Sleep

If you lift weights regularly, you are using a fair bit of energy so if you struggle to sleep, this kind of exhaustion will be beneficial for you when it comes to bed time! You will be able to fall asleep more easily and your overall quality of sleep will be much better.

Help with Period Pains

Believe it or not, but exercising during your period can actually help to relieve pain, such as back pain, cramps and headaches. It can even help to regulate your periods when done consistently.

There are many more benefits but these are some of my favourite ones!

Here is a video that I did about this topic and i include some equipment recommendations in it too.

Can you think of any more reasons to lift weights?

Comment below and let me know!

Is Exercise the Answer to Eternal Youth?

by

Bet that got your attention 😉

But is there any truth to my question, can exercise help us to look, feel and act younger?

I believe the answer is yes, as long as it is combined with a healthy diet and plenty of sleep!

I was standing up all day at work yesterday (I’m a teacher) and I noticed I was getting a bit of an achy back. I found myself wondering if a) I needed to do some more stretching and b) it would be worse if I wasn’t as active as I am?

I am in my mid forties and am always told that I look at least 10-15 years younger than I am (best compliment in the world!), I put this down to my lifestyle, even though I know I could do more for myself (and I intend to)!

The narrative for a lot of women tends to be exercise = weight loss and I think that’s a real shame. I am blessed with a core group of female students who understand that there is more to exercise than weight loss, especially the social and mental health side of things.

I study regularly as I am a tutor and assessor (and addicted to studying according to quite a few of my friends!) and I love deep diving into different aspect of health and well-being.

I’m currently studying for my Level 4 Obesity and Diabetes and some of the information is quite alarming when it comes to the impact on our health long term.

I wonder if more people knew the implications of what we are doing to our bodies (we quite often treat our cars better), would they change their bad habits or make the effort to exercise more?

The key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle is to find a type of exercise you love, ideally find someone who you can do it with (or a group of likeminded individuals who will welcome you with open arms) and to add a variety of fruit, vegetables and good protein sources to your diet.

The process is simple, but it’s not easy – Finding the motivation to do this can be hard which is why you need to make sure you have support, from your friends, family or find a group that want to achieve the same things that you do.

I want to live long enough to run round after my grandchildren, without risking an injury! I want to have the minimum of aches and pains, not just put them down to growing old and I want to feel good, inside and out so when I’m in my 60s, people think I’m in my 40s!

What do you think?

Is exercise just a weight loss tool for you or do you want to live a longer, healthy life?

Breaking Habits

by

Stress is a big factor when it comes to setting new habits (and breaking old ones), if your stress levels are high, your chances of breaking old habits (and forming new ones) are low!

Lack of sleep is also a determining factor, both increase your production of cortisol, which is bad for your health (i’m not talking about short bursts, i’m talking about consistently high levels)!

Find your marker (or cue), Steven Bartlett did a fantastic podcast about Making and Breaking Habits (click here for the podcast) and he talks about needed a cue for positive habits as the brain is wired to recognise a cue before launching a habit .

E.G. if you go shopping at the same place and automatically reach for chocolate when you get to the till. If you shopped at a different supermarket or moved to a till without chocolate, that’s a new, positive cue.

If you are setting a new habit, find a cue that will help you to form a new habit e.g. prep veggies when you buy them and when you open the fridge when you are bored or about to eat something bad, the healthier choices will be there in front of you.

Find a better reason to quit your old habit, if you want to lose weight, do it because you want to play with your kids or you want more energy, not just because you want to fit into a certain clothes size.

I want to get stronger and lifting weights regularly is only part of it. My food habits need to change and my sleep needs to improve, so I need to set up new cues: Food prepping needs to be a new habit, I also need to encourage my family to get involved so I have a support network that are on the same page as me.

Do you have any bad habits that you would like to change? 

Comment below and let me know, I would love to help if I can!

New Year, New Start?

by
As the beginning of a new year draws close, people often feel pressured to make resolutions, especially regarding fitness.
 
The wording resolution can have the opposite effect of what is intended and plays a big part in people failing within the first few weeks.
 
As a fitness professional, we are taught to set goals for our clients, and by using the format we are shown (FIIT, SMART, Short/Medium/Long Term), we can create New year Goals for our clients and ourselves.
 
I would ask anyone, fit pro or not, just to think differently about our aspirations for 2023 and really focus on achieving them by planning, instead of writing resolutions that are so vast, they become unachievable.
 
GOAL SETTING
 
 
I’ve decided to follow these four rules I believe I can apply them to any kind of goal:
 
LEARN
 
Is there something that I have wanted to learn for a while? 
 
It could be a new hobby or something I’ve wanted to find out but haven’t made time for it. Do you want to try a new class or a better way of cooking healthy food thats cost effective?
 
IMPROVE
 
What am I currently doing that I would like to be better at? 
 
There are quite a few things that fall under this category but my focus is definitely around improving my work/life balance in 2023. Do you struggle to find time to exercise? You need to make it part of your self care routine and treat it as a non-negotiable.
 
ENJOY
 
What do I really like doing? I need to be able to enjoy the goals that I’ve set for myself or what’s the point? 
 
If you want to exercise and eat better, then try lots of different classes until you find one that you like and different ways of cooking foods that you enjoy. You are more likely to stick to your goal if you enjoy it!
 
REMOVE
 
What can I get rid of that I no longer enjoy or that makes me feel bad about myself?
 
You could be referring to any part of your life with any of the above titles, it could be clothing that you’ve kept because it was a gift/expensive/a bargain but it doesn’t fit, people who make you feel bad about yourself or are unsupportive (do not feel obligated to be around people who make you feel that way!).
 
My suggestion would be to make a list under each heading, (just brain dump) then cross off the ones that aren’t that important until you are left with the ones that you really want to do.
 
If you want help with your health and fitness goals, then we can help – Just send us a message and we will be ready to support you!
 
Please don’t feel pressured to set any goals but if you do, remember, a goal without a plan is just a dream 🙂