Raise Your Metabolism

In a recent post by Gabrielle Reece, she encourages women to weight train to boost their metabolism and lose weight. The reason? Because

If you’re doing a cardiovascular activity (running, biking, swimming, walking), you burn calories for the duration of the time you're exercising. Now if you build muscles, your muscles become a calorie-burning machine. So let's say you lift weights for an hour. Your muscles will burn calories all day long.

Worried about getting bulky?

If you're truly paranoid about getting too big, then lift very light weights and do 12 to 15 reps.

Having some experience with weight training, I can attest to the veracity of her article. For women not interested in looking like body builders, that’s easy enough to avoid by following her instructions. The big guys put on all those muscles by lifting as much as they can at lower repetitions, not to mention their bodies are designed to put on more mass than a woman’s.

I also read not long ago in a Nutrition News article, I think it was, that after 40, if you’re not building muscle, you’re losing it. So if you’re over 40 or creeping up on it, that’s something to keep in mind.

If you’re new to weight training, you might want to check out a local gym. It will usually have someone who can give you some basic training. The home gyms, such as Bowflex or Crossbow, usually come with adequate instructions also.

Higher metabolism, better overall muscle tone, and not losing muscle as one ages are all good reasons to practice some weight training. But most of all, it’s just plain fun.