Our body is at its peak at about age 30. After this, the key components of fitness decline leading to a tendency to put on weight. Even more disturbing is what's going on behind the scenes. 

Bone and muscle loss begins around age 35. Flexibility and strength are also on the decline, as body fat levels and blood pressure are on the rise. A whopping 50% of these changes are a direct result of inactivity. With regular exercise you can take control of your life and delay the effects of the aging process. Additionally, you can reverse many of the effects that have already taken place. 

So how do you take control? You have to choose to move! Make exercise an integral part of your daily routine. A good exercise routine contains all three elements of fitness including: 1) strength or resistance training 2)aerobics 3)flexibility. By far the most ideal way for a woman to workout is circuit-training which incorporates these three elements into one effective and time efficient routine.
 
Some ladies are under the common misconception that an aerobics only exercise routine is the answer to weight loss and weight control. This is definitely not the case. Since 75% of the calories that you burn are burned at rest, aerobic exercise is not as effective as developing muscle, to increase your bodies' ability to burn calories around the clock. 

As a result of the natural aging process, ladies lose lean muscle mass every year and replace it with fat. This is the primary reason that weight control and weight loss becomes so much more difficult then when you were 18. One pound of fat burns only about 4 calories per day while one pound of muscle burns approximately 50 calories per day. Just think… after 10 years of muscle loss your metabolism has slowed down by as much as 450 calories a day. 

Ladies, if you want to lose fat, gain muscle tone, firm your arms, flatten your abdomen, lift and shape your rear, and maybe shave a few inches, then include strength training into your workout routine. Ladies who include strength training in their exercise program lose an average of 44% more fat than those who don't.

The behind the scenes effects of strength training are even more important. A regular exercise program which includes strength training will slow down and reverse many of the effects of aging. Even people in their 90's have seen up to a 200% improvement in strength within a few weeks of starting an exercise program. So no more excuses ladies…you can be fit!

Article provided by Joni Hyde, creator of www.WorkoutsForWomen.com .

Posted 5/19/06