Preparing for her role as emcee and moderator at our Women’s Health Q&A event on March 8, Yoga instructor Lee Carson has been researching and reading topics for the night. Check out her tip to maintain overall health by turning up the intensity of your workout.
“At the recommendation of my dear friend Amanda I’ve been reading Roar by Stacy Sims. She brings a fascinating perspective on the unique women’s experience and physiology. I highly recommend her book, and I’ll be giving away a copy at the event next week. Here are my two biggest takeaways from her book.
Knowledge is power and we, as women, are on a journey as we age. This journey involves our hormones fluctuating and ultimately changing over time. I think it’s important to understand that as our estrogen and progesterone decline, it’s normal to experience decreased motivation to exercise. Studies also show that exercise aside, even daily activity levels decline in measurable ways among women as our hormones decline. While we can’t change it, knowing the data is important. Sims also suggests that we even process carbohydrates less efficiently as we age.
Most importantly, declining estrogen and progesterone lead to decreases in bone density and lean muscle mass. We can combat this by strength training two to three times per week with respectable intensity. The truth seems to be that properly designed exercises and programs that pack enough intensity (including strength and cardiovascular) may be one of the best bets to maintaining our overall health.
I love that the infamous 83-year-old RBG touts her personal trainer as the most important person in her life. Check out this article to see how a 27 year-old-male faired doing RBG’s typical session with her trainer. Turns out, she’s on to this idea of intensity! I, for one, hope I’m as feisty and fit as her at 83!”
Lee’s personal training philosophy
Our bodies are incredibly efficient. If there are joints, muscles and functions that we don’t use, our body stops maintaining those areas, putting attention to what we do use. Yoga is a powerful way to keep our joints moving, our muscles at their proper length and fresh, oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood moving throughout our system. These aspects make yoga a tonic of youth.
Hyatt Training is a collective of certified, enthusiastic and innovative personal trainers in Portland, Oregon. Read Jeremy’s recent personal trainer tip about women and strength training, or register for our March 8 Women’s Health Q&A event.
To learn more about our personal trainers or to set up a free consultation to see how they could help you, email us at Go@HyattTraining.com.
