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“I don’t strength train because I’ll bulk up like a man… I don’t want to look like a body builder!”

“News flash ladies – it’s physically impossible for you to bulk up without hormone treatment or some other artificial intervention. Women lack the growth hormones required to get as muscular as men. We simply don’t produce the amount of testosterone required to gain muscle mass like men (or female body builders who are taking supplements to support growth) do.

The fact of the matter is, if you want to be fit, lean and toned, you need to do more than just cardio. You should be incorporating strength training workouts into your routine  IN ADDITION to your cardio workouts! The COMBINATION of cardio and strength training is what will get you the results that you’re looking for – feeling strong and looking lean!

But that’s not all!  There are so many benefits for women that come from incorporating strength training into an exercise regimen:

• Improved muscle tone (and increased self-esteem)! I don’t know about you, but I always feel better about myself when I am looking fit and trim – lean muscles are sexy!
• Increased bone density! A healthy bone is more dense; meaning that it has more calcium stores, is stronger and has a higher bone density. Weight bearing exercises, or strength training, help to deposit calcium stores within your bones, leading to healthier, stronger bones!
• Increased immunity to illness! Several studies have now found that strength training increases both the number and the amount of activity of immune cells whose primary jobs are to detect and destroy cancerous and virus-infected cells! In addition, muscle is your body’s way of storing protein – which is essential in the production of antibodies when your body is fighting an infection.
• Ability to slow (and even reverse!) the aging process! A recent study conducted at McMaster University Medical Center showed that lifting weights can actually reverse the aging process in the muscles. Participants in the study not only got stronger, but the molecular mechanisms which generate power for their muscles became as active as those found in much younger people.
• Your body will metabolize food and drink more efficiently! When you strength train, you experience a boost in your resting metabolism… so if you are trying to reduce bodyfat, you’ll be able to do so more easily! The reason for this is that strength training increases muscle fibers, and as such, they consume more energy – which boosts our metabolisms.

So now we know the benefits of strength training… but why else aren’t’ we doing it?”

By Janine@ThePurpleGiraffe
Full Article: http://shesafitchick.com/2012/01/weights-for-women/

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Whey [Protein] Helps You Get Lean

“I teach a college class in exercise physiology at a private university in south Florida. The questions I get are often quite illuminating. Perhaps the topic that engenders more falsehoods is dietary protein. When students realize that only protein and fat are essential (i.e. you need them in your diet because your body can’t make them), whereas carbohydrate is not, the incredulity on their young faces is apparent. And when I mention that protein can actually help them lose weight and bodyfat, a collective nod fills the room. Show me the beef!

A recent study shed light on the amazing effect of supplementing with protein. Scientists compared using a higher-protein supplement vs. a conventional carbohydrate on body composition and physical function in older women during weight loss. Thirty-one overweight or obese women were given a low-calorie diet (1,400 calories—15 percent protein, 65 percent carbs, 30 percent fat) along with either a 25-gram protein supplement or an isocaloric maltodextrin treatment twice a day for six months. Imagine finding out a half year later that, oh, by the way, you’ve been sucking down more sugar than a cotton candy festival.

Results: The protein group lost 8 percent of bodyweight while the carb group lost 4.1 percent. In terms of thigh volume changes, the protein group gained 5.8 percent more muscle and lost 3.8 percent more subcutaneous fat. The researchers concluded that “a higher protein intake during caloric restriction maintains muscle relative to weight lost, which in turn enhances physical function in older women.” That said, if you want data on which protein to use, whey is the one protein that all of us should eat. It clearly stimulates muscle protein synthesis, defends the body against oxidative stress, plays a role in the immune response and, of course, is instrumental in improving body composition.

A recent study found that whey protein supplementation reduced the amount of fat stored in the liver of obese women. In fact, the stuff is medicinal as well as performance-enhancing! A dose of 20 to 40 grams of whey immediately postworkout is what this doctor orders.” -  

Editor’s note: Jose Antonio, Ph.D., is the CEO of the International Society of Sports Nutrition

Article from:
http://www.ironmanmagazine.com/site/whey-helps-you-get-lean/

Whey doesn’t make you fat ladies!!!!

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