“I’m not liking what I’m seeing,” my chiropractor remarked on a recent visit, “even my top-level athlete’s are weak. Heck, they can hardly do one side plank, much less a whole series.”
Citing the effects of the pandemic, Dr. Allen said we all need to get strong. “We only have this one vessel and we need to take good care of it.”
His question: How much strength training are you doing?
Strength training does more than build muscle, the latest research shows it reaches deep and regulates postmenopausal women hormone levels.
According to Women’s Health advisor, Lauren Kanski, CPT, “Estrogen is responsible for lean mass development, as well as strength and power; it stimulates the satellite cells for muscle protein development, and it’s critical in the central nervous system for creating muscle contraction.”
In other words, by doing the heavy lifting, you counteract the effects of estrogen loss and your body rewards you with other hormones that take over where estrogen trails off. Strength training also revs the metabolism so you’re burning more calories throughout your day.
Face it: Your body is amazing. Give yourself permission to keep doing the heavy lifting.
You can start now to turn on the switching mechanism to help regulate hormone levels and get strong for spring. Yep, you know the drill, aim for three times a week and a focused level of effort. Start with a reasonable goal and keep tracking.
There’s no doubt the pandemic was hard on everybody. You’ll find doing the heavy lifting trains you in more ways than one. You’re sharpening your mental prowess and expanding your mindset. You got this!
Recent Comments