Lift Those Weights!

I was always fascinated with strength training and weight lifting (for the sole purpose of exercise and toning, not bulking!), especially when I started going to the gym, but I very rarely saw women lifting weight, so I thought it was a "guy's thing". I wanted to try but I was scared to approach the weights, especially with the loud grunts and the yelling (is that some kind of tactic to scare away novices?). Recently, I started going to a weight lifting class (where you choose the amount of weight to lift), which, surprisingly, has very few men. I'm not sure why men shy away from lifting in a room full of women, but it is such a fun class!

I used to think that lifting weights was only beneficial for men, and that women should stick to aerobics. However, this is not the case. There are many reason why women should lift weights, for example:

• it increases strength: finally you will be able to open that jar of pickles on you own and won't have to ask a man to do it for you!
• you will lose body fat: as you increase your lean muscle weight, your resting metabolism also increases and you will burn more calories throughout the day! For each pound of muscle you gain, you will burn 30-50 more calories each day.
• You WILL NOT look like this (Men won't look like this either, unless they are on steroids or pump something into their muscles): 

• Women who weight lift will not gain much size because they don't have the necessary hormones  like men do. You'll most likely develop muscle tone and definition (perfect!). 
• By lifting weights, you can increase your bone density which can lead to a decreased risk of osteoporosis.
• Since your bones get stronger, you decrease your risk of injury from daily strains, as well as improve your balance and joint stability.

It is never too late to start! If you do, make sure you start with light weights and work your weight up!  
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