subject: You Are Not Still Using Old Fashioned Ineffective Exercise Methods Are You? [print this page] Maybe you are a woman who wonders why you should bother with strength training exercise after all you have been told for years if you want to burn fat and get fit all you need to do is some low intensity activity like walking.
For the last 30 something years women have been sold the same bill of goods and millions of leotard clad females poured into 'aerobics' classes hoping to end up looking like the advertising images of the health club babes. But unfortunately, they emerged years later with the same soft overweight bodies that they started with and many of them even got worse.
We know now why this happened. Research into the way our body's hormones function is a hot topic and rightly so as hormonal health and the state of the bodies metabolism (our body's engine) is totally what governs whether you have a fat storing body or a fat burning one.
The most important factor in acquiring a healthy metabolism for a strong and lean body is the condition of your muscles. Old fashioned 'aerobics' and 'cardio' type activities do not address this issue and that is the main reason why it did not and does not work well for weight loss or toning up ones body.
These 'cardio' types of activities work at a low intensity level with little to zero resistance for multiple repetitions. This is great for recreational activities like walking or cycling as one can then participate in them for long periods of time without tiring.
But for weight loss and body toning you need to do the opposite. Higher intensity strength training exercise works the major muscle groups through their ranges of motion under a load. This is the only way you can strengthen muscles which is what you need to do to speed up your fat burning machinery (your metabolism).
Somehow we have lost track of what exactly proper exercise is and what it is not. If you are serious about ditching the flab you need to do a whole lot more than simply walking or even jogging. These types of activity can even cause the stress hormone cortisol to be secreted in response to the physical stress of prolonged activity.
Cortisol is a fat storing hormone and is one of the reasons many 'aerobics' instructors were chunky and still remained overweight despite doing hours of activity each week.
But we know better now, just 2-3 short intense strength training sessions, done with a bit of effort put into them will give 3 times the results in half the time.
So, get yourself into your local gym or fitness center and get started on a proper strength training exercise program that will transform your body into a strong and lean one.
There are many other benefits of increased strength including making your everyday tasks and activities easier so you can do them quicker and still have energy left over for something you enjoy. A much more effective and productive plan would you not agree?
