If you have children, this can mean the difference between them growing up as sedentary teens and adults or as active, vibrant and healthy individuals. However, one excellent reason to participate in physical activity is the example you will set for your family. While women often put others before themselves in so many circumstances, it is vital to put yourself first when it comes to focusing on your health. Women experience 75% of all hip fractures, with the leading cause being weakened bones. This bone loss can lead to spinal problems, back pain, fractures and breaks. Bone density decreases with age unless you combat it through resistance training. Resistance training to boost your bone health is a worthy goal to have in mind. One of the only ways to increase bone density (along with proper nutrition) is weight-bearing exercise. Women are at a much higher risk of developing weak bones and osteoporosis. You will also have a much lower chance of experiencing back pain. Those with a strong grip strength are much more likely to have better health outcomes.Ī strong and stable body reduces your risk of falls and injuries as you age, helping you stay independent and active into your golden years. In fact, grip strength is a measure of independent and functional aging. Not only as we age but in life, such as carrying groceries, shoveling snow and even opening jars. One of the best aspects of working on your physical fitness is independence. This will mean less chance of leaking urine when you laugh, sneeze or exercise, better sexual health and less risk of pain and complications related to the pelvic floor.īecome more independent (and stay that way)! Furthermore, women can experience a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles with age, changes in hormones, childbirth and other lifestyle factors like obesity.īuilding muscle and strength in your core and glutes, in turn, help strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor. As well, muscle works to send the proper hormonal signals through your body (as discussed above).īuilding muscle is a fantastic goal for women since aging can result in a decline of muscle mass, lowering your metabolic rate and putting you at greater risk for injuries.
Sufficient muscle size and strength contribute to a healthy metabolism by increasing the calories you burn, even at rest. This is excellent news because cortisol has many adverse health effects when it is too high, such as interfering with your blood sugar control and metabolism, increasing inflammation and decreasing libido. As long as you don’t overdo it with long, strenuous, frequent workouts, cortisol is reduced through physical activity. Research shows that exercise can prevent this effect.Īlong with a few other beneficial hormonal effects, exercise also helps regulate the stress hormone cortisol. Excess estrogen can cause an increased risk for breast cancer and other health concerns. It plays a role in regulating your bone health and cholesterol levels. This includes cardiovascular and strength training.Įstrogen is also affected by exercise. Participating in moderate to intense exercise can increase this hormone production. It also helps increase bone mass and reduces fat storage by telling stem cells where to go. Irisin turns on particular gene signaling that tells the body to transform white fat into metabolically advantageous brown fat. One of these hormones is the little-known irisin. Your muscles act like companions to your endocrine system, helping regulate metabolism and releasing hormones. Exercise helps send the correct messages through your body. Many hormonal dysfunctions and changes can occur when the messages are out of whack. Women's hormones are in constant fluctuation, especially throughout their fertile years. Your hormones are the signaling system of your entire body, finding chemical messages throughout your systems to regulate your metabolism, sleep, mood and libido. Meaningful Fitness Goals for Women Balance your hormones Regardless of your motivations for exercising and eating well, there are many incredible reasons to do so.
Conversely, women who concentrated on goals unrelated to their appearance achieved significant weight loss. In the research, women who focused on appearance-based outcomes actually gained weight after the 30-month study. In other words, putting all of your mental and physical efforts into weight loss works against you. In fact, basing your fitness goals on losing weight has been shown in scientific research to be detrimental to achieving that goal compared to simply focusing on improving your health. While achieving and maintaining an ideal weight is an admirable goal, focusing on shrinking yourself is not always conducive to a healthy lifestyle. When discussing fitness goals, the first topic that often comes to mind is weight loss.
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