Weight management for women through exercise
Training for a healthy weight
Regular exercise is crucial for weight maintenance and staying strong
Weight management for women through exercise
Without strength training, individuals can expect to lose 8% of strength each decade after they turn 30. Strength work not only aids in building muscle, but also reduces the risk of injury, making us stronger and more resilient.
Females have higher levels of estrogen in their body compared to males. Studies have shown that estrogen increases muscle strength, resistance to fatigue and decreases muscular inflammation during and after exercise.
During menopause, with the drop of estrogen levels in the women’s body, there is a significant loss of muscle mass and strength. Losing muscle mass leads to less metabolically active tissue in the body, so the daily caloric burn decreases, resulting in weight gains, as the body is not burning calories so effectively as before.
How can you improve muscle mass and strength? By doing regular physical activity. Studies have shown that both aerobic and anaerobic exercise improves estrogen levels, leading to higher muscle mass, higher metabolism, less weight gain.
Weight training is more effective in building muscle mass, improving estrogen levels, and helping with fat loss.
Weight training could be bodyweight training or with added resistance.
Aerobic activity has a higher degree of fat loss than strength training, but only to a lesser extent and the only way to maintain a healthy weight is through metabolically active muscle tissue that generates a higher daily caloric output. And the answer for that is strength training.
Aerobic exercise should be done most days of the week for at least 20-30 mins at a moderate intensity, while strength training is effective when performed 2 - 3 times per week, to allow muscle recovery between trainings.
Conclusion:
any type of exercise is great for weight maintenance and staying strong. In order to maintain these benefits, aerobic exercise alone is only a short term solution. It must be combined with strength training for long term fat loss/weight maintenance and overall health benefits.
It’s never too late to take care of your health.
**Disclaimer: For informational purposes only. All opinions expressed are my own personal thoughts, based on my personal research as a Healthy lifestyle coach. Use it at your own discretion.
