Ladies, do not be afraid of muscle! Resistance training will give you that tight, lean body you've always wanted!
Benefits:
Regular weight training does more than just build better muscles, it builds a better, healthier body.
Increased strength of bones, muscles and connective tissue (the tendons and ligaments), decreasing the risk of injury.
Increased muscle mass- Most adults lose about one-half pound of muscle per year after the age of 20. This is largely due to decreased activity.
Muscle tissue is partly responsible for the number of calories burned at rest (the basal metabolic rate or BMR). As muscle mass increases, BMR increases, making it easier to maintain a healthy body weight.
Several new studies confirm the benefits of moderate resistance training, which includes reduced blood pressure, lower LDL (''bad'') cholesterol levels and higher HDL (''good'') cholesterol levels, all of which improve cardiovascular health overall.
Weight training is also believed to improve the way the body processes sugar, which could reduce the risk of developing diabetes.
Another study examined the effect of weight training on osteoarthritis, a common condition among older adults that affects balance and increases the risk of falling. This study and others confirm that exercise of any kind improves strength, gait and ability to perform activities of daily living among older adults with osteoarthritis, and, in many cases, reduces the pain associated with the disease.
Weight training enhances your quality of life. As general strength increases, the effort required to perform daily routines (carrying groceries, working in the garden) will be less taxing.
Source: Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, February 22, 2000; Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association, (35) 2000; Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2000; 48: 131-138