For the last few decades women have been sold the same bill of goods in the way of what is proper exercise and what is not.
They were told if you want to burn fat, get fit and achieve a lean trim body aerobic or cardio type activity is the answer.
For close on thirty years leotard-clad women poured into fitness classes the world over hoping they would end up looking like the babes in the health club ads.
The reality is they came out with bodies in the same condition that were startlingly similar to the ones they started with.
The types of activities are all very well if you are already in good shape and just want to have a bit of fun.
Waving your arms around and jumping up and down are not going to make any meaningful changes if you are overweight or out of shape.
'Moving it' does not mean you are going to 'lose it'.
The problem with this type of low intensity activity is it does nothing to boost the metabolism (the rate the body burns fuel) after the activity is over.
A session in a fitness class might burn a few hundred calories but that drops straight back down when you stop doing it.
This is the difference in exercise programs today.
We now place more importance on what happens after the exercise session is over now as opposed to what happens during it.
We want the exercise to tone and rebuild the muscles as this is what drives the metabolism.
To achieve this they have to be directly worked through their ranges of movement with adequate resistance as with proper strength training exercise.
You want the end result to be that you are burning more fuel (calories) every minute of the day and night, whether you are active or resting.
This is what is going to get you a strong, lean body and nothing else is going to cut it.
Women often blame their weight problems on a slow metabolism but it is really only a lack of toned muscle tissue.
There is nothing in our modern world today that is going to tone your muscles naturally unless you are a manual worker.
All of the 'work' that used to be in our lives has been removed to make it 'easy' and 'convenient'.
Because of this the world now has an overweight problem as two thirds of us are now in this category.
The benefits of proper strength training exercise extend far beyond boosting the metabolism too.
Great posture, stronger bones, better blood sugar regulation, skin tightening, stress relief, improved mood and better mental and emotional health along with greater disease protection are all included in the deal.
Instead of wondering why you should bother with strength training exercise think about if you are serious about ditching the flab once and for all.
If you are, strength training exercise is the only way you are going to accomplish it with the support of good nutrition.
Once you get going you will be delighted with the results and wish you had started years ago.