	Home Site Map FAQ Links Privacy Disclaimer About Contact Celebrate Your Virtues Stimulate Your Senses Cultivate Your Spirit Enliven Your Mind Fuel Your Body

Strength Training

Many women are frightened to begin a strength training program. They believe that they are going to get big and bulky.

Sure, you can get big and bulky if you choose to, but simply adding a weight regimen to your exercise repertoire is not going to turn you into the Incredible Hulk.

In fact, adding some muscle work will help you to lose weight and look trimmer! Plus, it helps your heart in ways that cardio exercises cannot.

So, where do you start?

I am willing to bet you have some soup cans in your kitchen. You can start there!

There are many ways to reap the rewards of strength training. There are weight machines, resistance bands, free weights, milk jugs, your children (let’s hope they are not 12…), stability balls and your own body weight.

And there are also so many places to either do your weight training, or find proper techniques. If you are a person who would prefer the convenience of an at home workout, you could use magazine articles, workout videos, or buy a weight training book.

If you are an outdoor person, you can do walking lunges around your neighborhood, climb bleachers at the local school, find a trail that has workout stations along the path, or make your own backyard strength circuit by doing pushups from your deck, lunges over your dog’s “restroom” and dips from your kids swing set bar.

If you enjoy the whole “gym” scene, by all means go! You will have a surplus of equipment and trainers at your disposal. If you would like to experience the gym, but money is a little tight, check out the recreation centers or a YMCA or YWCA. They usually have some great deals that beat the pants off of a huge gym.

Follow Instructions Carefully

It is very important to stress the need for you to make sure you are using proper form while weight training in order to avoid serious injury. You can do this several ways: really pay attention to any magazine article or book that describes the proper form, really pay attention (and pause if necessary) any weight training video you use, or of course, you can always hire a personal trainer just to teach you proper form.

It is important that you do these exercises properly, to make sure you don’t get hurt, and to make sure you are working your muscles to maximum efficiency in order to get the results you are looking for!

It is also worth mentioning that the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns naturally which means quicker weight loss in the long run, and a healthier body overall!