Burn Fat Faster.

The Journal of the American Medical Association published a recent study that showed that post-menopausal women can reduce their body fat, increase muscle mass, build up their bones, and improve their balance by lifting moderately heavy weights on a regular basis.

The benefits of weight training are indisputable in preventing the effects of aging in pre-menopausal women and reversing the effects of aging in post-menopausal women. Strength training helps you burn fat, it raises your metabolism, builds muscle and strengthens bones and connective tissue. This is great news for menopausal women!

Here are a few tips to get you started;

• Women should pay particular attention to building strength in the upper back and shoulders to protect against osteoporosis but don't neglect the lower body either.
• To get the most gain in strength training, focus on the large muscle groups of the shoulders, torso, buttocks, and upper legs .
• Bench presses, pushups, seated rowing machines, curls, calf raises, crunches all work to build strength.
• Household items such as soup cans or milk jugs filled with water or sand can be used as weights. You can also purchase small, hand-held weights at sports stores.
• To lose body fat and build muscle, you should use weights heavy enough to tire you after 10-12 repetitions on each muscle group. You build endurance and strength when working a muscle to fatigue.
•  Move slowly while doing your reps to maximize strength gain. This is one sport where time the slower you go, the more you win. Your exercises will produce a 20 to 40 percent greater outcome if you take one to two seconds to contract the muscle, hold the contraction for half a second, and then lengthen the release to three or four seconds.
• If you belong to a health club, ask a trainer for assistance in developing a strength training plan that is right for you. If unsure of how to begin, you are likely best served hiring a personal trainer for one or two sessions to get you on the right track. There are numerous "how-to" resources on-line, at your local library and in fitness magazines.
• Add strength training to you exercise schedule two or three times per week, allowing at least one day of recovery between sessions. Just five minutes three times a week will produce noticeable outcomes over time.

It takes time - between four to six weeks of regular strength training - to see the benefits of weight lifting so be patient.

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