Benefits of Strength Training, Besides A Six Pack or Booty
A reminder of all the progress you’re building under the surface & the longterm results you’re working for that matter most.
We see 4,000-10,000 ads on average every day. And while you’ll never hear me say obesity doesn’t matter or see us hop on the “healthy at every size” train — one of the most powerful things that make us talk about our weight, workout to lose weight & worry about nothing else? Marketing, marketing, marketing. We’ve got magazines at every checkout line, food labels down every aisle, social media ads, streaming music ads, search engines, sponsorships, billboards all still battling for our attention screaming
lose weight!
drop inches!
slimmer waist!
bigger booty!
Next time you see the propaganda? Remind yourself it’s the year 2022 and you’re definition of “healthy” doesn’t mean breaking a sweat to fit into size 3 jeans without belly rolls or hiding cellulite.
the way you look will always change
Sustainable Motivation
If you’re in it for the long haul, we can’t just “do whatever it takes” to shed a couple pounds or inches! We’ll sacrifice our metabolism, slow it down, and make it harder for our body to balance itself back out later! Remember: any unwanted weight gain is simply just a symptom; it’s a sign something is off, imbalanced, dysfunctioning that needs to be solved if we’re looking for sustainable results — and we can’t do that if we’re showing up for the wrong reasons or suppressing the problem!
A more sustainable approach? Remind yourself!
Was everything perfect when you weighed less/a smaller size? No way!
How do you want to look back & say you lived your life! Constantly dieting?
What do you notice exercise improves? Energy? Digestion? Mood? Libido?
Because I know there are so many reasons we might find ourselves suckered into the rat race of working out to “burn calories” or look perfect — but there are so many better reasons to take care of the body you’ve been gifted! The best part? A lot of them you’ll notice & reap the reward of so much sooner than weight loss (or gain) anyway!
show up for the right reasons
What Really Matters
Movement can truly be a powerful form of medicine when we incorporate it into our day-to-day lives strategically. But strength training specifically comes with a long list of added perks that are more powerful than weightloss alone.
Top evidence-based benefits of strength training:
build resiliency & a higher tolerance to other stressors in life¹ ² — if/when our metabolism is thriving, we can use exercise to challenge our body’s stress response & cope with stress more efficiently overtime.
more calories burned at rest post-workout¹ ² ³ ⁴ ⁵ ⁶ ⁷ — excess post-workout oxygen consumption (EPOC) means our cells are still continuing to use oxygen (cellular respiration) which requires energy (cals) to do.
builds muscle mass, burns visceral fat & improves body composition¹ ² ³ ⁴ — as you increase muscle, you burn through fat more quickly.
more energy throughout day¹ ² ³ — increases mitochondria inside cells where ATP (energy) is produced; ATP is what makes you feel energized (all day) and function properly (ie. brain, nerves, immunity); increased oxygen fuels mitochondria; and hormones make us feel good!
use carbs, glycogen & insulin better¹ ² ³ ⁴ ⁵ ⁶ ⁷ ⁸ — cells use glucose (sugar/carbs) during workout and become more sensitive to insulin (the hormone that tells cells to absorb carbs); if it runs our of glucose, it will burn through stored carbs (glycogen), which gives the carbs you eat in the future somewhere to go before getting stored as fat.
lubricates joints, reduce risk of falls & injuries¹ ² ³ ⁴ ⁵ — moving joints actually increases synovial fluid & nutrients inside them! if you’re in pain, remember pain doesn’t always = injury & injury doesn’t always = pain!
increases bone strength, bone density & bone mass¹ ² ³ ⁴ ⁵ ⁶ — forces bones to work against gravity and become stronger
subjectively speaking, you probably feel like a different person walking out than you do walkin’ in.
So, what call are you gonna make? Show up for the short-term, superficial results or to set yourself up for longterm success?
Rooting for you, Danika.
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EVERYDAY AMERICAN
Hey, I’m Danika
Middle-class, low-maintenance woman from the outskirts of town who didn’t keep trusting a broken, ass-backwards system to tell me the whole truth and what’s best for me. The internet can be so bittersweet sometimes, but I hope this space becomes a resource that inspires you to simplify the most important foods, make the most informed decisions & stress less about living perfectly!
Craving a realistic, root-cause approach to real food? Maybe we’re your cup of tea.
