Why you should shift your focus to “GETTING STRONGER”

When it comes to asking new clients what they want to achieve from joining PT sessions

or classes losing weight is always the first reason mentioned. Of course this is very important for people, BUT, just focusing on losing weight is also very likely to fail you in the long run. One reason why: Many people focus on huge restrictions when it comes to food as a path to dropping pounds, a strategy that isn’t sustainable.

So, instead of focusing on cutting calories and dropping pounds, why not switch your focus to adding something into your life…. STRENGTH TRAINING. Getting stronger comes with lots of important health benefits, only requires a little adjustment to your routine without too much of a time commitment, and, yes, can also help you lose weight. Here’s why it’s so important.

You will help your heart. One of the biggest benefits of any kind of exercise is the boost you give to your heart health, and this is especially true for resistance training. The muscular system and cardiovascular system are related. It’s really simple… you work and your heart works. Over time, you end up strengthening your heart, so it pumps more blood with each beat. The result: A lower resting heart rate and blood pressure.

You will have stronger bones. Muscles aren’t the only things that get weaker as you age, so do your bones. And that’s something lifting weights can actually reverse. Many studies show strength training increases bone density better than high-impact activities, like running.

You will slim down while adding muscle mass.Your main motivation at the start was to lose weight, so why not combine the two and have the best of both worlds? Wayne Westcott, a PhD professor of exercise science states the reason there’s such a link between getting stronger and slimming down is that after you turn 30, you start to lose 3-8% of your total muscle mass every decade, a rate that speeds up even more when you hit 60. This reduces your resting metabolic rate, which accounts for more than half of the calories you burn in a day.

You will maintain your weight more easily.How many times have you tried a diet, its gone great for a few weeks and your down to your target weight, fast forward a month and you are back to the same weight or even slightly over as to what you started at in the first place? If this sounds familiar than I can guarantee you that you have not been adding resistance training to your schedule. It is the fact that strength training helps you maintain your weight.

You will feel less anxious. Who isn’t feeling a little on edge right now? Strength training can help with that too. It has been shown in a number of small studies that eight weeks of resistance training reduced anxiety. Other research shows it can also help reduce your risk of developing depression.

Ready to start experiencing all those benefits yourself? Be sure to pop me a message, email or DM on any social media platforms and book in for a FREE consultation call with myself 

Stay healthy, Stay Happy.