11
- W I N T E R
“People are getting overweight, tired
and weak, and having a lot of lower back
and core problems. I think we can blame
a lot of that on sitting at a desk all day,”
she says. “Resistance training has a lot of
medical benefits, including preventing
diabetes and osteoporosis. It makes you
feel more confident and helps fight de-
pression.”
Karen says that doing cardio exercise,
like walking or running, will not provide
the same benefits as a combination of car-
dio and resistance training. And strength
training is not just for the young. There
are significant benefits for older women,
including improved mobility and a de-
creased chance of falls and injuries.
“Increasing your muscle tone improves
balance and co-ordination,” Karen says.
“Now I’m in my mid-50s all those things
are important to me. When you’re young-
er, in your 20s, it’s all about looking good,
but when you get older those other things,
like improving your balance and prevent-
ing osteoporosis are in your mind.
“The best thing is that you feel good and
it’s achievable for everyone. It’s about being
able to do things comfortably, like peg out the
clothes, or bend down to pick up a child – it
gives you a better quality of life.”
You don’t have to fork out a lot of money
to include resistance training in your work-
out schedule. Investing in a few items, such as
dumbells, a kettlebell or resistance band would
allow you to complete lots of exercises at home.
“It doesn’t have to be in a gym,” Karen says.
“You don’t even have to own a pair of dumb-
ells, you can use your own bodyweight to do
exercises like push-ups and dips.”
Karen recommends a minimum of three re-
sistance training sessions a week to really feel
the benefits. Those new to strength training
should get some advice before starting out.
“People should go to a personal trainer, at least
for a few sessions,” Karen recommends. “It’s
very important to learn good technique when
you are doing the exercises. It’s all about safety,
we don’t want people to risk hurting them-
selves.”
Why resistance training matters
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