Over and over,research has shown that women who maintain a regular, moderate strength training program enjoy a long list of health advantages. Some women still fear that weight training will pimp themup and ake then appear ‘bulky’. However, negative attitudes about women in the weight room are rapidly fading as women of all ages realise the benefits of resistance training. According to renowned strength training researcher William J. Kraemer, PhD, of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Weight training expert and researcher, Wayne Westcott, PhD, from the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, gives us 10 important reasons why women need to take strength training seriously:

1. You’ll Lose More Fat Than You’ll Gain in Muscle. Westcott and his colleagues have done numerous weight training studies involving thousands of women and have never had anyone complain about bulking up. In fact, Westcott’s research shows that the average woman who strength trains two to three times a week for eight weeks gains 1.75 pounds of lean weight or muscle and loses 3.5 pounds of fat. Unlike men, women typically don’t gain size from strength training, because compared to men, women have 10 to 30 times less of the hormones that cause bulking up, explains Kraemer.

2. Your New Muscle Will Help Fight Obesity. As you add muscle from strength training, your resting metabolism will increase, so you’ll burn more calories all day long, notes Westcott. For each pound of muscle you gain, you’ll burn 35 to 50 more calories daily. So, for example, if you gain three pounds of muscle and burn 40 extra calories for each pound, you’ll burn 120 more calories per day, or approximately 3,600 more calories per month. That equates to a loss of 10 to 12 pounds in one year!

3. You’ll Be a Stronger Woman. Westcott’s studies indicate that moderate weight training increases a woman’s strength by 30 to 50 percent. Extra strength will make it easier to accomplish some daily activities, such as lifting children or shopping. Kraemer notes that most strength differences between men and women can be explained by differences in body size and fat mass; pound for pound, women can develop their strength at the same rate as men.

4. Your Bones Will Benefit. By the time you leave high school, you have established all the bone mineral density you’ll ever have–unless you strength train, says Westcott. Research has found that weight training can increase spinal bone mineral density by 13 percent in six months. So strength training is a powerful tool against osteoporosis.

5. You Will Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes. Adult-onset diabetes is a growing problem for women and men. Research indicates that weight training can increase glucose utilization in the body by 23 percent in four months.

6. You Will Fight Heart Disease. Strength training will improve your cholesterol profile and blood pressure, according to recent research. Of course, your exercise program should also include cardiovascular exercise and flexibility training.

7. You Will Be Able to Beat Back Pain and Fight Arthritis. A recent 12-year study showed that strengthening the low-back muscles had an 80 percent success rate in eliminating or alleviating low-back pain. Other studies have indicated that weight training can ease arthritis pain and strengthen joints.

8. You’ll Be a Better Athlete. Westcott has found that strength training improves athletic ability. Golfers, for example, significantly increase their driving power. Whatever your sport of choice, strength training may not only improve your proficiency but also decrease your risk of injury.

9. It Will Work No Matter How Old You Are. Westcott has successfully trained numerous women in their 70s and 80s, and studies show that strength improvements are possible at any age. Note, however, that a strength training professional should always supervise older participants.

10. You’ll Strengthen Your Mental Health. A Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than standard counseling did, Westcott says. Women who strength train commonly report feeling more confident and capable as a result of their program.*

Great Daily Exercise - Squat sit with arm curl……

Starting Position
Lean against a solid wall, with your feet out in front of you approximately 12 inches and shoulder width apart. Hold dumbbells to your side, palms facing forward.

Action
Slowly lower your body from the hips until you reach 90 degrees at the knees. Hold that position. Holding elbows into your body, slowly curl dumbbells upward at the same time. Make sure to keep your shoulders still and just bend at your elbows. Squeeze at the top and return to the starting position. Keep your stomach muscles pulled in and breathe steadily. Try doing 2 sets with 10-12 repetitions.

Special Instructions
You can do this without the extra weights to start……

Muscles Worked: Biceps, Quads, Glutes

Crush, grind and smush your way to a healthier, happier you!!! A few sterter recipes…

Pink Banana

Health facts

High in vitamin C and a good source of fibre and potassium.

How to make it

Take one large banana, one handful of strawberries or raspberries - they can be fresh, frozen or tinned.

Add a large glass of apple juice.

Try freezing the banana beforehand for an extra creamy experience.

Classic banana

How to make it

Take two large bananas, one stoned and peeled ripe peach, the seeds and pulp of a passion fruit and a teaspoon of honey.

Mix them all together in the blender and serve with ice

Try freezing the banana beforehand for an extra creamy experience.

 
Red and Racey

It was the ancient people of Troy that were the first to appreciate the fruitiness of the raspberry.

 Health facts

High in fibre and vitamin C

How to make it

Take three large handfuls of fresh raspberries, or packet of frozen raspberries.

Add 1/4 pint of cranberry juice and two bananas, peeled and chopped.

Blast together in a blender and serve immediately

Perky Pineapple

The pineapple was first called "anana" a Caribbean word which means "excellent fruit"

 Health facts

Very high in Vitamin C

How to make it

Take half a fresh pineapple (or 1 small one), or 1 large tin of pineapple in juice. Add 1 ripe banana and some coconut milk or ¼ teaspoon of coconut extract.

Mix all together and blend until super sumo smooth. Garnish with pineapple wedge.

Small Bits of Fitness Add Up

Exercise Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

Where did the day go?"

Is this a common question in your life? Many of us jam-pack so much stuff into our daily routines, seemingly there’s no time to relax for just one minute, let alone exercise. Lack of time is one of the most common excuses for not having a decent fitness regimen. But do you realize that in the time it might take you to go through your e-mail, you could fit in a good workout? We’re not talking about giving up 60 minutes either; all you need is 10.

Just 10?

Forget the "all or nothing" mentality when it comes to exercise. Fitness does not live or die by 60-minute workouts; there is middle ground. Short spurts of exercise, when they accumulate, have been shown to share similar benefits of longer workouts.

Your body will reap numerous benefits just by becoming more active. This approach is perfect for times when you don’t have time for a regular workout, or when you want to start off slowly and build up a routine.

Easier Than You Think

Treat these 10 minutes like you would a regular workout. Take 1-2 minutes to warm up and get the muscles ready, including stretching. Follow with at least 7 minutes of exercise at a medium or high intensity. Then make sure to include a 60-second cool down

Since it’s brief, it’s important to work at a fairly high intensity to obtain all of the benefits. Work at raising your heart and respiration rates. Just like regular workouts, try to include cardio, strength training and flexibility work in your shortened routine. Either knock out all three during the 10 minutes, or plan a 10-minute segment for each area.

Example: Push out 10 cardio minutes on the stationary bike. For strength, do push-ups, wall sits, or lift dumbbells. For flexibility, it’s helpful to just stretch every day. Work different muscle groups and keep it simple. After 10 minutes, you will feel healthier and be on your way to developing solid fitness habits.

But I Still Don’t Have Time

It only takes 30 minutes a day, broken up into manageable chunks of 10. Start with a quick exercise when you wake up. The second session? A lunch break is possibly the perfect time to re-energize and get the blood flowing again. The last 10-minute blitz could come in the evening, even while you are watching TV. It’s an ideal way to involve the family as well. Go for a power walk after dinner with your spouse or ride bikes with the kids.

It is all about convenience; if you try, you can fit exercise into your schedule no matter where you are. Do it at home or at work, outside or in the living room. Start building exercise spurts into your daily routine and you’ll start feeling better.

The Phrase ‘BOOT CAMP’ instills fear into many people, after visions on the TV of huge brawny seargant major types shouting abuse at less than sphelt like figures who are pushed until they looked like they will explode!!  It doesn’t have to be that way!!  Many BOOT CAMPs that are run successfully are based on fitness with a more ‘individual’ feel!!  The partcipants are encouraged to push themselves within their limits….to feel like they are working hard but also enjoying themselves…. BOOT CAMP should provide a ‘varied’ regime to challenge and work the body differently each session while keeping the participant interested and motivated.  The Time 4 Myself BOOT CAMPs in Scotland became such a success because they included these factors and our team members saw REAL differences in their body shapes in just 4 weeks!!

The key to getting the fat off and tightening up the lean muscle mass.. for good, really is quite simple…. I said simple not easy!!!

‘Interval Training’ is when you work your body in short sharp bursts of activity and have short recover periods. For example: doing leg squats for 30 seconds and having ten seconds rest while you move round to the next exercise which could be 30 seconds of push ups. This type of exercise has been the backbone of circuit training classes and military style classes/camps the world over…..so you’re maybe asking….’if it’s so simple why don’t more people just get on with it…get a stopwatch and some weights and burn the fat’????  Thats because simple and easy are two different things!! You have to be committed to achieveing your goals and again a good BOOT CAMP wil help you make sure you start the whole process with your Goals and Motivations before you ever lift  weight or do a squat.

To make real changes to your body and lifestyle you can’t expect to do 30 minutes light exercise 3 times a week and see HUGE results…. But with a Kick ass, metabolism revving, calorie burning BOOT CAMP style workout 3 times a week plus some general exercise and modifications to your food intake….well…. you can expect to burn fat, have leaner muscles, more energy,  feel happier in yourself, make new friends, see life differently, be more positive…..Sound good???? Look for  a BOOT CAMP style session near you or hire a Personal Trainer that can help you workout the right way to achieve your goals. If you need any help…drop me an email or give me a call.  Judith - 696 815 927

BOOT CAMPS in Tenerife Sur - Call Dymphna Byrne- 619 008 035

 BOOT CAMPS in Carluke, SCOTLAND  - Call Alastair - 07799 84 37 55