Sunday, August 31, 2008

Strength training for women

Does being a woman mean being weak? Or anyway, should women be weak? This is not a subtle attack on culture, belief or religion but just a friendly question as food for thought!
Being a woman does not mean being weak. Forget the fallacious beliefs that women should be weaker than men so that they can respect their husbands. Everyone, male or female needs to be strong. This is why we proudly talk about strength training for women.
But before so much is said, let us understand why women need strength training…

Why women should go for strength training

Like men, women need strength to do the daily chores of life. That should be the basic explanation that should be advanced is support of strength training for women. But wait a minute; did you know that in most cases women do more work than men? Yes, they do. Apart from the more womanly job of parenting, they do most of the domestic chores. So should they not be strong? And if they should, isn’t it logical that they should undergo strength training?
They certainly should. It is just logical!

Now, let’s look more closely at the facts. The very important duty of child birth with the associated pains and struggles of labor are restricted to women. They then do most of the tasks associated with bringing up the baby – at least they do the breast feeding alone. But they are the only ones who carry the pregnancy. This should be enough to convince one that women should be strong – calling for strength training.

That said, strength training for women is also crucial because it boosts immunity. Who would be happy to have a weak wife, sister, daughter or mother? Certainly no one! Strength means better immunity, so we all need it irrespective of sex. But how does one approach it?

Simplifying strength training

Yes, we agree that women need strength training, just like men. But how does one approach it? Or doesn’t it become too hard for women to handle?

Valid questions! But the good news is that strength training for women can be done in a very simple and exciting way. Granted, but how? Simple, such training should be tailored to the individual woman’s physical ability. When exercising, one should begin with exercises they are comfortable doing. Stretching, jogging, jumping and squatting should be easy exercises for the average woman. And that’s what counts – simple, exciting and fun.

To make it easier, the training should be done at the right time in the right place. If the training involves exercises, they should be done during humid times like in the mornings and evenings. Exercising should also be done in places one is comfortable with. Women may at times due to reasons of protecting their privacy need to do their exercises in isolated places like behind a garage, at the balcony of their houses or just behind the comfort of their rooms. This is very important because strength training is not meant to be a punishment – so just keep it easy. Do it in a place you are comfortable with.

Strength training for women also involves discussing issues to do with their nutrition. Like everyone interested in boosting their strength, women need to train themselves in how to eat the right food that will keep them strong. Drinking plenty of water can be of invaluable value. Taking foods rich in proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates and fats are also important issues discussed during the strength trainings. If a trainer is hired for this sole purpose, they will most certainly advise on the right amounts of each food type that should be consumed.

Therefore, the platform is now set for women to undergo strength training. The reasons for it are there and there is no more reason to fear because the procedure has been simplified to meet everyone’s ability.

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