Day 22 and heavy lifting

Goals

closer relationship with God- Today was Romans chapter 15, this chapter is a hard one. We are told that those stronger in faith should forget their needs and stand by those weaker in faith to lift them up. This is what Jesus did with us, that day he asked his Father to remove the cup from him if it was his will. He did not want to die but he did it without complaints for us. In this modern world, thinking about someone that maybe is not part of your family and putting their needs ahead of yours, is something that is very difficult in the me society. This for me is a really hard one as I want to stay in my tight circle of family. I honestly struggle with this. Baby steps.
Get Fit- today is lower body day so squats with 35 lb weights ,3 sets of 10, calf raises 3 sets of 10, dead lifts with 46 pound hex bar 3 sets of 10, monkey feet with 15 pound dumbell I did 3 different exercises with them for 3 sets of 10. I did reverse crunches 3 sets of 10 today and used a weighted vest with 10 pounds. Below I want to talk about all of the benefits of lifting heavy for women over 50 but really anyone
House organization- I joined the FB group Swedish death cleaning. If you have never heard of this topic check it out as it is pretty interesting, I will cover more on this tomorrow on the blog, I went through a pile of papers and sorted into trash and file and got it cleared up
Write- I wrote for 20 minutes
Camper reno- still watching roof sealant videos as I want to seal the roof this weekend, hoping no rain.

Lifting Heavy

It is hard to get across how empowering it is to lift heavy for a woman. If you can’t tell, this topic excites me . I know there are many older ladies that have never considered lifting heavy. I implore you to try this, not light dumbells and lots of reps, but weights. If you can afford it , get a trainer to teach your correct form. This is very important to have correct form to avoid injury and get the best results. If you cannot afford a trainer, watch a lot of Youtube videos where they do a really good job of showing you proper form. When I began years ago, my son was my coach as he was on a weight lifting team. I still watch videos on form and lifting. I suggest looking for front squat form and deadlift form. There is no reason age should stop you. The benefits to your body are immeasurable. Compound exercises are the most important and you will get the most benefits from these. You can do body weight in the beginning but heavy lifting will give you the most benefit and you will see the greatest changes. Look up Ernestine Shepherd , she is now 84 and lifting. She didn’t start competing until she was 71. I included a video of her below ,she is very inspiring.

First let’s talk about the mental benefits. Lifting improves cognition, mood and self esteem. The way lifting empowers you and makes you feel good in your skin. Feeling your muscles when you move and they way they respond to you is very mood enhancing. I promise you that your are never too old to begin. Look around at people over 50 and see how many have curtailed their activities as they get older. Have you stopped doing things that you enjoy because of your age? I do not think any one looks forward to using canes ,walker or wheelchairs. Your glutes are so important to your mobility that it is important to squat. I included a Youtube video where a doctor discusses how vital strong glutes are to our over all health.

The physical benefits of lifting heavy are immense. I am sure you are aware that we lose muscle mass and bone density as we age. In fact this process begins when you hit 40. This does not have to happen. Lifting at any age will increase your muscle mass and increase bone density. weight lifting improves estrogen, testosterone and human growth hormone levels. It is natural for women to have some testosterone level but it does fall as we age and this is why we lose muscle mass. If any one is afraid of bulk, forget it, this does not happen with women. I included a YouTube of a lady of 70 that started lifting heavy and the transformation is incredible. Not to be sexist, these benefits all work for males also. So go lift heavy things!