INDUSTRY INSIGHT
Your Health
SPONSORED CONTENT
Strength is Not
Only for Men
I
by Lisa Troyer
have been honored to have the opportunity
to write for this phenomenal community
magazine for almost 10 years. The most
difficult task for me is selecting a topic. I always
feel that it is important to write about something
broad that targets a large group of readers,
substance that everyone can relate to and get
something out of.
Looking back over the years, there are
certainly subject matters that are closer to my
heart and that I feel more passionate about than
others. This article (my 45th) will go down
as one of my top three. I am going against my
own unspoken rule and targeting a very specific
audience….WOMEN!
According to the National Center for Health
Statistics, only 20 percent of women practice
strength training weekly. This stat just blows my
mind. There is so much compelling information
available that debunks the myths about women
and weights. I can’t understand why so many are
still afraid to pump iron.
body mass, it also helps our bones
grow stronger.
My female clients who reap the
best results spend as much time
on the gym floor throwing around
weights as they do on a treadmill or
in a spinning class. And they aren’t all
bulked up. I started out in the fitness
industry over 22 years ago as a group
fitness instructor. Back in those early days
we did a lot of aerobic activity, with very little
strength or resistance training. It wasn’t until I
started lifting weights some 15 years ago that
my body really changed. There is nothing that
makes me feel better than being strong and
striving to get stronger every day. “Strong is
the new Skinny.” I’ll leave you with this stat
and then you decide; for every three pounds
of muscle you gain: you can expect to burn an
extra 120 calories per day without even moving!
Hmmm – sounds like an easy decision to me.
This Industry Insight was written
by Lisa Troyer. Lisa has been in the
fitness industry for over 20 years
and is the owner of Fitness Fanatics
in the Great Southern Shopping
Center. She currently holds four
nationally recognized fitness and
personal training certifications and can be reached at
412.220.4190, ext. 3 or at [email protected].
Check out www.fitnessfanaticsinc.com for more great
fitness tips.
There is nothing that
makes me feel better
than being strong and
striving to get stronger
every day.
Many women exercise with their main goal
being weight loss. They still believe that the
most important component of fitness to reach
that goal is cardio. But there are studies and
statistics that back up the fact that strength
training just twice a week can reduce overall
body fat by three percent in 10 weeks without
dieting. If you jump on a treadmill you are
burning calories during that activity, but when
you lift weights your body keeps burning
calories long after you stop exercising.
The dreaded fear of bulking up is so
prevalent; it deters women from the benefits
of strength training. Ladies, strength training
does not make you bulky – cupcakes do. If
you lift weights and eat a well-balanced diet
limiting sugar and fat intake, the result will
be firm, feminine toned muscles, not bulky
masculine muscles.
Keep in mind that as we get older, the
percentage of fat on our bodies increases if we
do not do anything to replace our lean muscle.
We also risk developing osteoporosis due to
hormonal changes that cause a loss of bone
density. Lifting weights not only increases lean
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