If you ask 20 women what their fitness goals are you can bet they would mention objectives like losing weight, toning muscles, decreasing body fat, getting stronger and increasing energy levels.
Many women believe they can achieve those goals focusing exclusively on 'cardio' type activity because they do not understand how proper strength training exercise can really do for them.
It is a shame they have to miss out on the incredible benefits that strength training has to offer because of the myths, mistaken beliefs and misconceptions regarding this important component of health and fitness - overall body strength.
One of the biggest ones is that training with weights or resistance will give them big bulky muscles.
They seem to want to blame their fat burning machinery buried deep underneath the real big and bulky tissue - their own high body fat levels.
The fat is the enemy not your precious muscle tissue.
Women do not generally have the levels of the male hormone testosterone in their bodies to increase muscle tissue so the fears of getting bigger from too much muscle tissue are unfounded.
Getting bigger though is easy when you are putting on excess body fat.
That will really make your body fill out everywhere and make your body weight go up.
Strength training exercise is your golden ticket out of the fat trap.
It promotes positive healthy changes in body composition (muscle/fat ratio).
Muscle tissue is where fat is burned for energy so the more toned muscle tissue you have the higher your metabolic rate and the more calories you will burn both day and night.
"Cardio' type activity can never do this and if you only do this type of activity you will never get yourself a strong, lean, firm, toned body.
If one of your goals is losing weight a proper strength training program may be the key that allows you to achieve your fitness goals.
While you can burn calories during both 'cardio' activity and strength training exercise, the biggest impact on your fat burning machinery if you desire weight loss is a revved up metabolism that will only come from increasing the health of your muscle tissue.
An added bonus of your strength training program is benefits such as increased bone mineral density.
Your muscles are attached to your bones and when you work your muscles it pulls on the bones increasing their strength as well.
The disabling disease osteoporosis is a serious health threat to women so keeping your bones as strong and healthy as possible makes good sense.
The best benefit of all is the increased strength you will enjoy in your everyday tasks and activities.
Carrying children or groceries, lifting a heavy box or rearranging the furniture in your house will be a breeze.
You will also enjoy looking and feeling younger and more energetic.
Increased strength will feel so good after you have experienced it you will always want to keep it no matter your age.