Reasons Women Must Take Up Fitness Programs

Many women associate fitness with slimness. Women often start taking exercise primarily because they want to lose weight. They then often become frustrated because they do not seem to lose weight and give up their exercise program.

The basic problem here is that fitness and slimness are not strictly the same thing. Think of a football player or a wrestler. They are obviously fit but the may be much heavier than the ideal weight for their height.

Ideal height to weight ratios can be misleading. What we are really concerned about is fat. Excess fat is the danger to health.

Fat is formed by eating too many calories and exercise does not burn many calories. Shifting the fat depends on reducing your calorific intake. It is not unusual to lose as little as four ounces of weight a week from exercise alone. Over a year that amounts to quite a lot, but on a weekly basis is it hardly registers on most sets of scales.

Some women may even put on weight when they begin to exercise because they are creating muscle. This kind of weight gain is not harmful to a woman's health because it is not fat.

So if a woman's aim is to reduce her weight then she must focus on diet as well as exercise. In the long run the exercise will benefit her weight loss program because she is creating more lean muscle. Lean muscle burns more calories than fat even when sitting still so she will find it easier to maintain a healthy weight. There is less danger yo-yo weight loss and regain that afflicts so many women.

Weight training is of great benefit to women for this reason. Weight training creates lean muscle more quickly than cardiovascular fitness training. It is therefore a good idea for women to include some resistance work in their fitness regime. Even free weights can be beneficial. Don't be put off by the men. No woman will develop bulging muscles with weight training because women don't have as much testosterone as men.

Cardiovascular fitness training is vital for women as it is for men because it combats so many common health problems. Heart disease affects women as well as men. They can also suffer from high blood pressure. So it is important for women to do a frequent cardiovascular work out that will strengthen the heart and improve the circulation.

A good circulation is important for making a woman look fit. Cardiovascular fitness training will give a woman that healthy glow. Her skin, hair and eyes will all look healthy. A woman who radiates good health will get noticed. She will look good. Her vitality will shine through and say much more about a woman than a slightly overweight figure.

Cardiovascular exercise and resistance work are especially important for women because of the danger of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a common problem for women as they age and the density of their bones diminishes. It can result in breakages in older women. The best way to prevent osteoporosis is by fitness training.

Fitness training can also combat other common health problems in women. Painful periods can be helped by exercise. Depression and anxiety can both be reduced. Exercise increases the level of serotonin and releases dopamine which improve mood and reduce pain. Fitness training has been shown to have a definite effect on levels of serotonin and dopamine in women.

After exercise a woman will feel more positive about her confident. The stresses and strains of everyday life will seem more manageable.