While on a weight lifting program, the right hormones (testosterone) are necessary in order to bulk up. Women’s testosterone levels are much lower than men’s, so in most cases, they are not capable of building large muscles. In fact, since muscle takes up less room than fat, women tend to lose inches when they strength train. So in addition to the physical benefits (increased metabolism, decreased risk of osteoporosis, increased strength), strength training will help you slim down too! Women, in fact, are more likely to tone up from strength training rather than bulk up. Research shows that women can add up to 30% lean muscle and end up looking thinner, feeling stronger and being firmer.

Our society and pop culture seem to associate weight training with oversized muscles, but that’s just one avenue, which is extremely difficult for most people (including men) to achieve.

Women with an intense fear of becoming large (likely due to these images and myths) as a result of weight training are at a disadvantage when it comes to their health. The problem most women run into isn’t building too much muscle, but not building enough. This sets them up for increased risk of osteoporosis later in life, as well as a reduction in muscle mass of about 2-5% per year, which has an adverse affect on metabolism (and can result in weight gain).

Written by Nicole Nichols, B.S. & Certified Fitness Instructor

Make Fitness Part of Your Travel Plans

— By Zach Van Hart, Staff Writer SparkPeople

You may have read our article on easy exercises for when you are on vacation, but there is more to it than that. There are so many different vacations out there; exercise cannot be the same for each one. Would you exercise the same way on the beach as you would in the Smokey Mountains? Probably not, so here is some help for vacations at different places with different people.

Going to the beach seems to be a favorite of many. We know it’s so easy to just lie in the sand all day, sip margaritas, and forget about physical activity, but there is plenty of exercise you can do. First, there is the ocean. Swimming is possible, but fighting the waves, either with your body, boogie board or surf board, is great for working your core and your balance. If you go with family, especially kids, then playing games on the beach is great. Bring a baseball and glove, a football, a Frisbee, or anything else you can use to play a game. Clear out some room on the sand and enjoy.

Cruise ships are also great because most come equipped with a weight room. While these may not be as extensive as the gym you are used to at home, you can get the same complete workout as you would anyway. Take advantage of this. Also, cruise ships have pools, where you can do water exercises. To read about water workouts, click here.

Some vacations are exercise trips and no additional fitness routines are really needed. Good examples are skiing, hiking and whitewater rafting. Not only are these strenuous activities, but you usually spend all day doing them. You are getting all the exercise you need.

Another couple of vacations are either visiting a big city, like New York City or Chicago, or going to visit family or friends. A great way to exercise and take advantage of your surroundings is walking or running. Not only are you getting in good aerobic exercise, but you are taking in the sites of the city. If you are visiting family, maybe hop on a couple of bikes and let your host show you around the town.

Finally, how about getting to your vacation destination and back? Some of us spend an entire day either driving of flying to our destinations. Some of us even spend a couple of days getting there. Here are a few exercises you can try in the car or the plane, or at a rest stop:

• Stretching
• Use a stress/squeeze ball
• Crunches, how depending on your seating arrangement
• At a rest stop: pushups, jumping jacks, jumping jump rope, or sprints (should stretch beforehand)
• Calf raises, even if you are sitting
• Try using ankle weights or an exercise band.

Here are eight ways to help you lose those ten pounds that have been hanging around for way too long.  Remember, there are 3500 calories in a pound, you need to create a calorie budget and burn more than you are taking in.

Fitness and Nutrition

1. Switch from whole-milk products to skim-milk products
2. Reduce the use of butter and margarine
3. Use extra-lean ground beef, ground white meat chicken or ground white meat turkey
4. Switch from fried potato chips to the baked ones
5. Switch from 100-plus-calorie sandwich bread to the light whole-grain bread
6. Swap fruit juice for real fruit
7. Increase your exercise and work up to 500 calories a day
8. Remove the skin from a chicken breast after cooking and save 100 calories

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