Are You a Female and Over 50? You Need to Strength-Train!

Are you one of the women over 50 that I see ambling along the walking trail I jog on? You never seem to break a sweat. Real aerobic exercise needs to be more invigorating that that. And when you get home, after you've given your body a few hours to recover, you need to spend about twenty minutes a day doing strength-training. (Do I hear a chorus of moans? Read on and you may change your mind!)

Strength-training is anti-aging. It fights osteoporosis. It helps women lose weight. It builds muscles and our immune system. It makes us strong. Who wouldn't want to engage in it?

Statistics tell us that only 17.5% of women perform power-training workouts twice a week. A 2004 Center for Disease Control study indicated that the figure went up slightly from 1998 when only 14.5% of women lifted weights.

And only 11% of older women-over 65-approached that twice-weekly figure. The U.S. government has set a public health goal of 30% participation in twice-a-week weight-lifting by 2010. That still leaves a wide margin of non-exercisers among women.

Women Can Lift Weights and Be Beautiful

"It's not feminine," is a common complaint among women. Another is: "I don't want to look like a man!" Ah, but do you want the droopy underarms, the lethargic demeanor, the loss of bone structure? To get lean and beautiful muscles you need only lift moderate weights; we're not talking bench pressing, here---although that's doable too!

Before we exercise we need to get motivated. It helps to start out with an idea of an ideal physique. Think of a swimmer's body-lithe and flexible, not an extra ounce of fat on it. Or how about aiming for a physique that resembles a ballet dancer's? Women have to redefine what they mean by "buff".

Being strong doesn't have to mean a mass of rippling muscles and tendons that seem to pop through the skin. A strong, healthy woman can still have gentle curves and a delicate demeanor. But there are no two ways about it: women needs to strength-train to maintain a healthy and fit lifestyle and body.

Women over Fifty Need Strength-Training