We are so excited to have Jill here with us today. She is sharing with us about information that many of us fail to remember: Strength Training is Important. In her introduction of herself, she has totally inspired me. I hope you enjoy this post as much as we have. Thanks, Jill!!
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Hi to Natural Nester’s readers. I’m Jill from Fitness, Health and Happiness. I'm a wife, mom of 2, FitFluential and Sweat Pink Ambassador that is passionate about running, plant-based nutrition, fitness and an overall healthy lifestyle. I believe living a healthy life is not about perfection. It's about commitment, effort and progress!
My passion is running and in the past 7 months I have set 5k, 10k and half marathon personal records, ran my first ultra (31 miles), placed for the first time in my age division and won a division trophy for first place in 2-person 12 hour relay with my husband. And, just one more, I went from doing 0 unassisted pull-ups to 5! Why am I proudly sharing my successes and progress? I’m not bragging (ok, maybe a little). I have made 2 major changes over the past year that I believe contribute to my success over the past 7 months and one of those is consistent strength training. For me it’s running but I have no doubt anyone can experience the benefits of strength training no matter what your exercise of choice is.
6 days/week I use the home workout DVDs that are a combination of strength, abs and yoga. Focusing on strength with moves like squats, lunges, tricep extensions, curls, side raises, bicep curls and more. This particular program is done primarily with a barbell. The top right shot is my favorite of the upper body moves, the MAC DADDY. It kills the shoulders and I love that feeling!
What the experts say:
- Increased metabolic rate by increasing the number of calories you burn on a daily basis.
- Increasing and restoring bone density. Strength training prevents and fights osteoporosis.
- Increase lean muscle mass. For every ounce of lean muscle you have you burn 35-50 calories per day!
- Injury prevention. Strength training strengthens our muscles and tendons. The stronger we are the less chance of an injury.
- Improved balance. Strengthening our legs and core section means an increase in overall balance and coordination.
- Decreased risk of coronary disease. Strength training can reduce your blood pressure. It can also decrease your cholesterol levels.
- Aids in rehabilitation and recovery. Strengthening the muscles around our joints is one of the best ways to prevent and recover from an injury.
- Enhanced performance in sports, exercise and life in general. The benefits of strength training for women all boil down to one point- a better overall quality of life. We can perform our favorite activities with more ease and less pain.
- Feeling better and looking better. A toned body is but one factor to looking great. The other is purely mental.
The Benefits of Strength Training
- Increased metabolic rate? Definitely! After a few weeks of consistent strength training I noticed I was always hungry. My body was telling me “more calories please.”
- Increased lean muscle mass? Based on appearances, yes! I have more muscle mass than ever before.
- Injury prevention? I don’t want to jinx my streak so I’ll just say a wonderful YES!!
- Improved balance? Again, yes. I notice a big difference with yoga poses.
- Enhanced performance in sports, exercise and in life in general? If my running record lately is any indication than the answer to this is an excited YES! Have I mentioned my plank PR of 4:04?
- Feeling better and looking better? I totally feel the benefits of strength training on my body and according to my husband I look great. He says better than the day we met ☺
- Fun and relaxing? I’ve found that a 45-minute to hour strength training workout does wonders for stress and tension.
I would love to connect ☺
Twitter: @jillconyers
Facebook Fan Page: [Fitness, Health and Happiness]
Instagram: @jillconyers
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