Naturally Fit Sisters: Benefits of Strength Training

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.

This is my 10th week of the Les Mills Pump Challenge from Beachbody .

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:

The Benefits of Strength Training (Source)

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.

My Personal Experience:

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.

Do you include strength training in your workout schedule? If you have, what is your favorite move? If you haven’t what is holding you back from starting? If you have any questions feel free to contact me on my blog or at jillconyers at gmail dot com.Every week I host a health and fitness link-up, Fitness Friday. I would love to have your join and share your heath and fitness related posts and browse the blogs of other participants. It’s a great group of health and fitness enthusiasts!For more information click the image below: