A Basic Weight Training Workout For Women

Okay ladies, let's get this out of the way right now: if you follow a basic weight training workout for women you will not turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger. It just won't happen. You won't get all bulky and get huge muscles and look like a guy. Not gonna happen. But you will gain strength, tone your existing muscles and possibly lose some fat. Doing those things will make your existing muscles more visible and change the way you look.

A Sample Basic Workout

In the beginning, plan on training 3 days a week for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour at a time. Train on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and take the weekend off. Keep it simple and alternate what muscle groups you work each time. Here's a sample workout you can use to start. (Seek the advice and guidance of a personal trainer to make sure that you can perform the exercises correctly and safely.)

Monday: Legs, Calves and Abs. Do back squats and walking lunges (with dumbbells in your hands) for your legs. Do standing calf raises for your calves. Finally do plank holds and crunches/bicycles for your abs. Keep the weight light and do high reps. Try and do 5 sets for each exercise.

Wednesday: Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. Do dumbbell bench press and flys for your chest. Do military press and seated dumbbell press for your shoulders. Finally do kickbacks and dips for your triceps. Keep the weight light and do high reps. Try and do 5 sets for each exercise.

Friday: Back and Biceps. Do pullovers and rows for your back. Do seated, alternated dumbbell curls and barbell curls for your biceps. Finish off the workout with some chin-ups which will work both your back and biceps. Keep the weight light and do high reps. Try and do 5 sets for each exercise.

The Benefits Of Weight Training

There are many benefits to weight training for women (and men too!). Here are just a few: toning of your muscles, increased strength for everyday activities, helps increase bone density, increases your endurance and stamina, it gives you more energy, increased confidence because you're stronger, better posture, you'll get sick less, you'll lose inches as fat disappears and is replaced by muscle.

These are only some of the benefits that you will see. Weight training helps you get fit and get lean. If you are intimidated by the gym, improvise and do some of these exercises at home first until you are comfortable. Or find a personal trainer to get started. But what ever you choose, get started today and make weight training a part of your exercise program.

Health Benefits of Exercise to Reduce Disease Risk

Exercise is necessary to remain healthy, as it ties together a lifestyle of proper diet, stress management and social interaction. Our need for regular exercise is encoded into our genes, as our earliest ancestors required short bursts of energy to hunt for food or evade predators.

At the most basic level, our metabolic function and ability to fight off disease is dependent on the food we eat and the amount and type of exercise we provide for our well-being. Exercise provides the added benefits of improving mood, boosting energy levels and providing for better sleep. Regular exercise is part of the formula necessary to remain healthy.

Exercise Regularly To Improve Cholesterol and Triglycerides

Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrate that regular exercise reduces the risk of developing major illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Exercise has a powerful effect on cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, and is viewed as a significant means to lower the risk associated with elevated levels. 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week can reduce triglyceride levels by as much as 40%.

Research is also showing that in addition to traditional aerobic exercise, strength training can have a major impact on cholesterol levels. Short burst resistance training which quickly raises the heart rate and works the major muscle groups can lower total cholesterol and raise the important healthy HDL cholesterol level. Since HDL removes excess cholesterol from the blood, heart disease risk is effectively lowered. Further, this type of exercise helps to regulate blood sugar by helping the body efficiently process glucose into the cells and muscles to be used for energy, thus helping to prevent diabetes.

Exercise is Good for the Heart

Regular physical activity which lasts for at least 30 minutes should be on your schedule for most days of the week. People who follow this lifestyle have reduced blood pressure and a healthier weight. Combined with the blood lipid lowering effects, exercise is essential to heart health. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, and a regular fitness program can be the key to reversing that statistic.

Exercise strengthens the heart muscle and allows the veins and arteries to regain a natural elasticity, resulting in lowered blood pressure. Since the heart does not have to beat as hard or as frequently, the small cracks which begin to form on the inner lining of the arteries from excessive pressure can begin to heal. Combine regular physical activity with a healthy diet of leafy green vegetables, seeds, nuts, lean proteins and monounsaturated fats, and the result will be a reversal in coronary plaque and heart attack risk.

Exercise is Good for the Brain

The brain also benefits from a solid exercise program, as the neuronal connections are strengthened through physical activity. Concentration, attention and mood are enhanced with exercise and reaction times are snappier in those people with the highest performance levels. Studies show that new brain cells are developed at a higher rate allowing for improved learning and comprehension with exercise. Additionally, blood flow and oxygen to the brain is improved, resulting in improved memory and lowered risk of stroke.

Regular exercise provides many benefits to our health. The risk of chronic illness from heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer is reduced, along with a lowered incidence of depression and improved mood. A good fitness regime can be started at any point, and should always be combined with a healthy diet for maximum benefit. The end result will be a happier and healthier disease-free life.

Is Your Skin Reaping These Benefits From Exercise?

When you think of exercise, do you think of toning your body? Maybe you think of losing weight or building muscles. Maybe your doctor has told you that you nave to exercise for health reasons.

There are a number of things that people think of when they think of exercise, but skin care is usually not one of them. I have seen the skin care benefits of exercise firsthand. My oldest son has been experiencing severe acne and recently joined the cross-country running team at his high school. After three weeks of running daily with the team, he has already begun to show a major difference in his skin.

Acne sufferers are not the only people that have their skin benefit from exercise. Exercise improves your circulation, which means that any skin will benefit from it. Increased circulation brings more nutrients to the skin and removes more internal toxins from it. Perspiration during exercise pushes upper layer toxins to the surface and, provided you cleanse the skin after exercise, these toxins are removed. The result is a natural glow that is associated with youthful, healthy skin. Of course, your skin will be much healthier, but it may not be as youthful, but it will appear that way.

Unlike my son, you do not have to take on an incredibly vigorous exercise; you simply need to begin doing an exercise that increases that heart rate for at least 20 minutes. Exercise that elevates the heart rate for 20 minutes or more will have keep your heart rate increased (to some extent) for the same duration after you stop the exercise. This mean that a light aerobic workout (or other form of exercise which increases heart rate) for 20 minutes will keep a slightly elevated heart rate for 20 minutes after you finish your workout. The same is true for other time periods for longer than 20 minutes; 30 minutes increases the heart rate for 30 minutes after you finish, etc.

When I say exercise that increases the heart rate, you will need to use common sense. Lifting weights to build muscle or slow walks do not do this. Exercises that work are brisk walks, aerobics, jogging, running, jumping on a trampoline, etc. Of these, the exercise that seems the easiest, but is actually the hardest to keep up for the duration of 20 minutes, is jumping on a trampoline.

Your dermatologist will tell you that, because the skin is the largest body organ, it reaps more benefits from exercise than the rest of your body parts. Aside from the benefits from increased circulation mentioned above, Exercise benefits the skin by creating the right environment for your skin to build collagen. Collagen fibers are the fibers that support your skin and help wrinkles from appearing. This is why you see women who work out regularly look so much younger.

As we age, the cells that produce collagen in out bodies slow down. The result of this is skin that appears loose and is dry and wrinkled. By adding a regular exercise routine, you skin gets the nutrients and oxygen it needs for these bells to perform their best. When these cells function better, your skin looks much more youthful.

Regular exercise will eventually help your muscles to relax. This seems odd since the first affects of exercise are a tightening and toning process that gives better shape to them. However, with continued exercise, your muscles pass this stage and learn to relax. Through this relaxation, anger expression lines and crows feet will begin to soften and future lines will be slower in coming. In other words, exercise is a great, cheap anti aging solution for your skin as well as the rest of your body.

Keep in mind that you cannot tone and build facial muscles like other body muscles. While there are fads concerning facial exercise and facial calisthenics, pleasing effects (if there are any) are only temporary. In fact, over time, facial exercise can actually make more expression lines and wrinkles appear.

No matter who you are of what your skin condition is, regular exercise will benefit your skin. Whether you have the acne and breakouts the younger skin is prone to or you have the lined, dry skin that older skin is prone to, exercising is going to help correct your skin related problems. One thing that you have to remember is that, without plenty of fluids (purified water and natural organic juices), your skin will not reap near as many benefits or reap them as quickly as it could.