Myth One. Muscle turns to fat.
You probably know that this is not true in theory. After all how can one type of tissue turn into another type? Well it cant. But you may be concerned that if you workout you will put on too much muscle and end up looking bulky or if you put on muscle and stop working out that you will look bigger than you did before.
Myth Two. You don't have time or you are trying to "find" time
The time exists. You just have to choose how to prioritize your day.
And it can take as little as 10 minutes to get a strength workout in. A good quality workout should be around 30 minutes but you can do a fantastic workout in 15 minutes if you know what to do
Myth Three. You will get big & bulky
It takes a lot of work for women to get big. If you are worried that you will look like a body builder by training a few times a week in the gym that's just not going to happen. To get big you would need to have the right mix of hormones, eat a growth diet, and make training your career
Myth Four. You need to lose weight first.
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH. The longer you wait to start strength training the longer you will have to wait to lose weight. Strength training helps to increase your metabolism.
And cardio will not help boost that metabolism for very long. In fact doing cardio alone just contributes to the yo-yo problem (gaining weight then losing it then gaining more weight etc).
Myth Five. I don't need to do strength training. I run/walk/do yoga and that keeps me healthy.
Running and walking are great for your heart. They won't prevent bone loss in the way that strength training will. They also won't help you lose fat weight if you are under stress or have inflammation in your body.
Reasons To Stop Procrastinating & Get to Your Strength Training
Reason One
Muscle is smaller than fat. It weighs less. It stays closer to your body. It holds other things in. One pound of fat is the size of a tangerine and one pound of fat is the size of a grapefruit.
Reason Two
No other exercise is as good as strength training at improving the way you age.
Both physically and mentally.
Mentally strength training has been shown to increase cognitive function in the brain. We know that over time there is lower blood flow to the brain, and that oxidative stress can actually reduce the size of the brain. Adults who strength train regularly can actually reverse some of the brain damage. People who do weight training their whole lives may be able to prevent or slow the brain damage.
Reason Three
Strength training can improve the symptoms associated with many diseases like fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, metabolic syndrome, bone loss and abdominal obesity.
It helps with pain, inflammation, and even muscle weakness or fatigue
Reason Four
You can control muscle loss much more than you can control fat loss. Sometimes other factors affect your ability to lose fat weight like hormonal changes. However, we know that the more we strength train the more we can improve muscle. And muscle burns more calories and looks better than fat
Reason Five
Strength training helps to prevent bone loss which means that we can keep doing the things we want to longer. The more bone you lose the more you are at risk of giving up the activities that you love to do for fear of a fall.
References:
Home / CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - CNS & Neurological Disorders), Volume 14, Number 9
Hurley, B.F., Hanson, E.D. & Sheaff, A.K. Strength Training as a Countermeasure to Aging Muscle and Chronic Disease. Sports Med41, 289–306 (2011). https://doi.org/10.2165/11585920-000000000-00000
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