25/07/2024
Essential or Not?
I often get asked, "Madam, is it necessary to exercise with dumbbells? Can we manage without it? Does yoga or Zumba cover it?"
Most women tend to gravitate towards Zumba, aerobics, and yoga, believing that strength training is either just for gyms or for men to build muscle. I understand that many of you have never even touched a dumbbell. You've probably seen your mothers and sisters doing yoga or going for walks, but never lifting dumbbells. This makes you think it's not for you. When someone like me stresses the importance of strength training, you might think, "What's the big deal? Our mothers managed just fine."
Looking at our previous lifestyle, many tasks involved lifting heavy loads, which inadvertently provided the benefits of strength training. Be it drawing water, grinding grains, pounding spices, lifting things from high places, or carrying loads on the head. Additionally, walking was more common due to fewer vehicles. Plus, people didn't sit for hours on end with mobile phones, leading to more movement overall. This natural muscle stimulation kept their health in good shape. Our grandparents’ generation rarely faced lifestyle-related health issues.
However, our mothers’ generation, now in their fifties, often suffer from knee problems, back pain, and find it difficult to bend or sit on the floor. Many have diabetes, high blood pressure, and other ailments. Our generation, in their thirties, is already seeing high rates of diabetes, elevated cholesterol levels, PCOS, fertility issues, and stress.
Observing closely, you'll see that as physical labor, especially lifting weights, decreased, these complaints increased. We are facing these issues in our thirties and forties, more than our mothers did. Scientifically speaking, as muscle stimulus decreased, these problems increased.
Don't argue that the old ways were better because women did household work, etc. Modern life requires modern solutions.
Most women in their forties who come to me have joint or hormonal health-related complaints. The main three reasons are:
1. Being overweight
2. Not consuming enough protein
3. Only doing yoga, Zumba, aerobics, or walking
Our bones and muscles start to diminish after thirty, and to prevent this, there is no alternative to strength training. Friends, while household chores, Zumba, and yoga are good, they aren't enough to maintain muscle and bone health.
If you are experiencing these issues and want to start anew, message me for one-to-one coaching, and we’ll begin your fitness journey together. And yes, if you are a man, share this information with your wife,mother and sister and bring them along for strength training 💪🏻🙌🏻