There are many ways to exercise. Weight training for women is one way to exercise and tone the body. Burning calories and getting the heart rate up can be done with weight training. This can work the lower and upper body, which can help strengthen and tone the body. You do not have to weight train and look like those body builders. You can ideally lift weights and tone the body while burning calories. (more…)

One of the most common scenarios I see when I step into a gym is the large number of women working out soley on the treadmill for about 20 minutes or 30 minutes then leave gym. Many of them are concentrating more on their magazine rather then maintaining their target heart rate. While running on the treadmill is great for building cardio it fails to address one thing…that is maintaining muscle mass. I’m not talking here about women walking around with the body of Arnold Schwarzenegger, but few realize that as we age we experience muscle loss.

As a result our metabolism starts to slow down and we begin to gain weight. So the next time you enter the gym try to incorporate strength training as part of your routine if you haven’t done so already. When I teach my women’s cardio kickboxing boot camp sessions I make sure half of the class involves strength exercises. These can involve rubber resistance bands or just simple bodyweight exercises such as squats or push-ups.  Optimum weight loss for women programs should include a balance diet and benefits of both cardio and strength condtioning.

There is an interesting article published in Patriot Ledger regarding the benefits of strength training for weight loss for women and men.