JOIN THE RESISTANCE REVOLUTION
Something’s happening.
Something feels different.
There’s an air of change, one that each and every one of you reading this can sense; This impending inevitability that’s building. Ladies, our biggest challenge now lies ahead!!
But there is no need to succumb to this building oppression, no need to fear the sense of surrender, because it’s time, that we as women stand up and say “NO.... Mother Nature, we will not give in, we will not allow you to attack us. We will fight back, we will become stronger and we will JOIN THE RESISTANCE!!
Ok, let’s stop and take a calming step back for a moment, I’m not looking to create an army of menopausal women (although I have no doubt we would, combined, put all the worlds wrongs to rights in a matter of moments; we’re pretty good at getting stuff sorted, plus the crazy hormones give us an added edge!)
What I am talking about when I say JOIN THE RESISTANCE....is why you should all be doing regular RESISTANCE TRAINING and the amazing benefits of this form of exercise menopausal women.
Let’s start with the basics
WHAT IS RESISTANCE TRAINING?
Resistance training is basically when you place your muscles under force, so essentially, lifting weights or your own body weight.
But before you panic, weight lifting won’t have you looking muscly like Arnie, you don’t have enough testosterone to build the same physique as a man. But the benefits are far reaching.
THE BENEFITS
With Resistance training, you will build a great physique, a strong foundation and core, improve your skeletal strength, reduce the risk of osteoporosis, reduce blood pressure, improve heart health, reduce body fat, improve your mood and generally make you feel empowered and fantastic! It has been scientifically proven to reduce many of the symptoms associated with the menopause.
HOW TO GET STARTED
So many of us girls, don’t know where to start when it comes to strength and resistance training, so if you don't have a Personal trainer on hand to advise and support you, here’s my easy to follow guide to get you started.
• USE YOUR BODY: Using your own body weight against you is a great way to begin. Think normal every day movements, such as standing up from sitting in a chair (this is essentially a squat)
Here’s a few of my favourites
• Wall Press Ups
• Squats
• Walking lunges
• Side lunges
• Tricep dips
• Ab crunches
• Sit ups
• Plank
• Burpees
• RESISTANCE BANDS: These are great pieces of kit and are very inexpensive too, just be sure to purchase fabric bands rather than plastic as they are better quality.
Here’s a few of my favourites
• Band squat (place just above the knees, squeeze outwards and squat)
• Arm push (place both hands in side the band in prayer position and push your hands
outwards)
• Arrow (hold the band in both hands and pull back similar to shooting and arrow from a bow)
• Band Abs (place band just above the knees, lay on your back, pushing your spine in to the
floor, place the soles of your feet together and reach up in an ab crunch to touch the band)
• WEIGHTS: So this is one of absolute favourite ways to train. It builds long, lean muscles, makes me feel toned and sexy and gives a real sense of empowerment, add to that, the more lean muscle you have, the more calories you burn just to exist. So it’s win win!
Here’s a few of my favourites
• Squat Press: hold two dumbbells on each shoulder, squat down, keeping the weights on
your shoulders, as you stand up, push the weights up to the sky fully extending your arms. Be sure to keep your shoulders back and core pulled tight, pressing your heels in to the floor.
• Bicep curl: hold a weight in each hand down by your side, bend at the elbow brining the weight up level with your shoulders, return to your side
• Walking Lunges: Hold weights in each hand and lunge each foot as if walking, dropping your back knee to the floor, be sure to keep your body upright and avoid over stretching your lunge
• Ab Crunch: hold one weight in both hands to your chest, lay on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on floor and back supported fully, push the weight forward to touch your knees creating a small crunch, bringing your back off the floor to bra level! Be sure to keep your back pushed in the to floor and avoid straining your neck
Resistance training is great fun and loaded with benefits, there’s loads of useful videos and online plans you can follow, just be sure to use weights that are comfortable and stay within your capabilities.
Stay safe ladies and let’s all JOIN THE RESISTANCE!
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