How Lifting Weights Can Improve a Woman’s Body Image

Strength training can build confidence as well as muscle

Exercise like many things in life is often given a pink or a blue tint: workouts for him and workouts for her.

Traditionally, women have focused on cardio and weight loss, while men have focused on strength training and muscle growth. This is slowly changing and there are some very good reasons why. Women are finding out that weight lifting may help them reach their fitness goals more effectively than dieting and cardio alone.

Strength training can completely change how your body looks and feels. It can give you a perky backside, help you feel stronger, and boost your confidence.

Here’s how pumping iron can improve your body image.

The Woman in the Mirror

If you are like most women, body image is a sore spot for you. Many women have negative or distorted feelings about how they look. Indeed, research studies have found that 69 to 84% of American women are unhappy with their bodies.

Not surprisingly, in a culture saturated with images of bodily perfection eating disorders and plastic surgery are on the rise, especially in females.

When you don’t feel comfortable with your body, it can play out in a variety of ways. For example, you may avoid looking at yourself below the neck, or obsess over every sag, pooch, or dimple that you see when you do.

You may be uncomfortable undressing in front of a partner or when they touch a certain body part. Poor body image can increase feelings of shame, anxiety, and depression..)

In an effort to deal with their negative self-image, some people turn to online movements like body positivity and body neutrality, which promote acceptance of diverse body shapes and sizes.

Strength Training Can Also Improve Your Body Image

While there is something to be said for accepting and loving yourself where you are, this doesn’t mean that you can’t change the status quo. Weight lifting can drastically change your body composition and self image for the better.

In one study of older women, who lifted weights twice a week, the researchers found significant improvements in body image and quality of life in just 10 weeks.

In the past, women have avoided the weight section of the gym due to fears of bulking up and looking too “masculine”. Many women just want to look fit, they don’t want to look like a body builder, and they underestimate just how hard it is for a woman to gain that kind of muscularity. Female body builders spend *hours *in the gym and follow very rigorous training and diet protocols.

If you’re like the average woman, you’re not going to put in that kind of work. Plus, you probably don’t have the testosterone to gain extreme muscle mass easily. So, don’t worry that you will become muscle-bound.

But you *will *gain muscle and that is a very good thing. For one, more muscle makes it easier to lose and maintain your weight as you age. Most of us gain weight as we get older and this is partly due to sarcopenia, the muscle loss that accrues with age.

Strength training increases muscle, which increases metabolism, even at rest. So, you can slow down a major marker of aging with lifting. Getting stronger has practical benefits allowing you to move more freely and lift heavy objects. Having some muscle reduces your risk of being a frail old lady.

Hitting the weights also improves skin health, as we grow older our dermis, the middle layer of the skin gets thinner, leading to more wrinkles and sagging. Strength training has been found to improve dermal thickness. Who doesn’t love a little less sag as they get older?

Health Benefits of Strength Training:

Of course, looking better is only one reason to pump some iron. Weightlifting has many benefits for your body and mind including:

• Improved bone health and reduced risk of osteoporosis
• Decreased risk of diabetes
• Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
• Enhanced cognitive functioning
• Longer life expectancy
• Lower risk of hypertension

Bottom Line

Strength training is a fabulous way to get fit. It can make it easier to maintain your weight, reduce your wrinkles, and help you stay mobile as you get older. Strength training can also improve many aspects of your life from reducing your risk for disease, improving your brain health, and even prolonging your life.