Beyond the well-established benefits of lifting weights like improved heart health, muscle density and increased energy, there are a host of other outcomes that are particularly powerful for women. Especially when it comes to making real and lasting change.
Achieve Your Goals
The sense of accomplishment that comes from setting and achieving goals in the weight room is hard to overstate. Even small advances are rewarding, like moving from five to ten pound dumbbells, or practicing for weeks to get that first push-up and then doing five a month later. The gratifying thing about lifting weights is that there is always a next rep, another challenge or a heavier weight to conquer and push through.
Become a Social Confidence Superstar
Weights are a great tool for boosting women’s confidence. Challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone and try your hand at the free weights. Nervous? Ask an experienced professional or friend, or join a class that incorporates free weights to learn the ropes. Pound-for-pound, women are stronger than men when it comes to relative vs absolute strength so it won’t take long before you’re chalking up numbers close to your own body weight. This confidence will carry far beyond the gym.
See the Benefits
Weight training creates motor patterns that improve balance, build strength, support joints to prevent injuries, speed up reaction times and protect against trips and falls. Use intense exercise as play and view it as a celebration of what your body can do instead of seeing it as some kind of punishment.
Manage Stress Like a Boss
There’s no catharsis quite like the one you’ll receive from moving a heavy weight and breaking a hard sweat in the process. It’s cardio from crushing kilos! Plus, there is no place to rest a book or magazine on a weight rack so you have to be in the moment. That means there’s no room left in your mind for to-do lists and unsent emails. Your only focus is achieving the rep. That pent-up energy has to go somewhere, and putting it into a barbell means you don’t take it home or back to the office.
So if you’re interested in feeling stronger, more confident and focused, give weights a try. Your body and mind will thank you.
