Fit and Healthy Lifestyle

Besides getting a great toned body, what else can you expect from weight training? The list goes on and on but here are my tip 10 favorite perks of picking up a weight.

1. Gain strength. Tired of not being able to carry all your groceries in one load? What about having to ask your significant other to open the pickle jar? The most obvious perk of weight training is increasing strength.

2. Build bone, fight osteoporosis. Strength training has shown to increase bone density, and what you do now affects your future. Build strong bones up today and in 20 years from now you might be the only one of your friends not taking medication for osteoporosis.
3. Increase metabolism. Lean muscle requires more energy than fat, so with each pound of muscle, you will be burning around 50 extra calories per day. And if you are burning more calories then taking in this means weight loss. And if you are not trying to lose weight, it means you will need to take in extra calories to feel the muscle.
4. Beat depression. Research has shown that exercise helps to decrease depression. Not only the chemicals that are released during exercise helps but also the results you see will increase confidence and make you a happier person.
5. Heart health. Being a regular at the gym makes for a healthy heart. Benefits include lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, and resting heart rate. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women. Do what you can to ward off the disease.
6. Healthy habit. Everyone needs a hobby, and this is a great one to take up. Not only does it make you a better person but it’s a heck of a lot better than going bar hopping with friends, or veg out night with the girls. Plus, the gym is a great place to meet people with similar interests.
7. Better posture. From wearing heels, to typing at the computer all day many of us can use some improvement when it comes to posture. When building strength in the back and legs your body will naturally improve and you will look taller and leaner. I no longer hear my mom’s voice telling me to “bring my shoulders back.”
8. Feel sexy. When you look sexy then you feel sexy, its that simple. Strength training will tone and slenderize the body. Keep in mind no cardio workout on its own will give the same results. Want to look good in that new bathing suit. Then stop running and grab some free weights.
9. Burn calories even after the workout. After lifting weights, the muscles are in dire need of recovery. That keeps the metabolism spiked up for several hours after a workout. The same is not true for cardio workouts. So once gain, making it easy for the weight to come off.
10. Decrease risk of injury. Strength training strengthens not just the muscles but the ligaments, tendons and bones. It increases balance and stability and therefore works to decrease your changes of injury. Have back problems? Could be due to week core muscles. Most people agree that weight training (when done properly) helps to decrease existing problems.