Not strictly Pilates, but a follow on from my last blog post and something that comes up a lot in conversations with clients. Weight training (including bodyweight exercise like Pilates) is hugely important as we get older, as our bone density and muscle mass decrease once we’re over 35 and especially for women as we can lose as much as 20% of our bone density in the years after menopause.
Muscle mass is also helpful for burning energy in our bodies. You can also add small weights to other workouts (as we sometimes do in Pilates), but really we want to start lifting more weight (i.e. as much as we safely can) if we want to get stronger/maintain muscle as we age.
But where to start?
I saw a really interesting discussion online recently about this exact subject, and a well known instructor trainer said she gets her clients to weigh their handbags. What a brilliant idea!!!
Anyone who works in fitness knows that many women will shy away from weights, or they’ll pick the tiny 1kg dumbbells (usually pink, bleurgh). But how much does the bag weigh that you carry around all day with your (usually huge) purse, keys, bottle of water, possibly a book etc etc? And if you don’t carry a handbag I’m willing to bet there’s something else you do carry a lot (e.g. shopping, stuff your family leave lying around, pets or small children). If like me you'll carry six bags of shopping in rather than make two trips from the car, those 1kg weights are doing nothing for you.
We are stronger than we think ladies, and it’s good to do everything you can to keep it that way. Now go and weigh your handbag! (And while we're on the subject, if it's a really heavy shoulder bag then you should consider switching to a rucksack!)
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