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Strength training has a number of benefits for women. Here are 4 ways to get started with weight training

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Imagine a gym from a decade ago: the weight room was a largely male-dominated space, with women doing most of their cardio. Fast-forward to today, and you will probably see women of all ages and backgrounds confidently navigating the weights.

This is greater than just an anecdote. According to data from Australian Sports Commissionnumber of women participating in weightlifting (each competitively and non-competitively) increased almost fivefold between 2016 and 2022.

Women are discovering what research has long shown: strength training has benefits that transcend sculpting muscle.

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Health benefits

Osteoporosisdisease by which bones change into weak and brittle, affects more women than men. Strength training increases bone densitya key factor for prevention of osteoporosisespecially for women going through menopause.

Strength training also improves insulin sensitivitywhich implies your body is healthier at using insulin to control your blood sugar levels, reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes. Regular strength training helps to improve heart health too.

There can be an improvement in mental health. Strength training has been linked to reduced symptoms depression AND Bow.

Strength training can provide a number of health benefits.
Ground Photo/Shutterstock

Improving self-confidence and body image

Unlike some forms of exercise where progress can seem elusive, strength training offers clear and tangible measures of success. Every time you add more weight to the bar, you remind yourself of your ability to achieve your goals and overcome challenges.

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This sense of achievement is not only limited to the gym – it will possibly change the way in which women see themselves. last examination Studies have shown that girls who lift weights repeatedly often feel more motivated to make positive changes of their lives and prepared to face the challenges that life outside the gym brings.

Strength training also has the potential to have a positive impact body imageIn a world where women are often judged by their appearance, lifting weights can shift the main focus function.

Instead of worrying in regards to the number on the size or fitting into a certain dress size, women often start appreciating their bodies for what they’ll do. “Am I lifting more than I could last month?” and “Can I carry all my groceries in one go?” can change into the brand new measures of physical success.

A young woman smiles in a gym locker room.
Strength training can have a positive impact on the perception of a woman’s body.
Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock

Lifting weights can be about difficult outdated ideas of what women “should” seem like. Qualitative tests My colleagues and I conducted research that showed that for many ladies, strength training becomes a powerful form of revolt against unrealistic beauty standards. As one participant told us:

I wanted something that will allow me to train, irrespective of what I looked like.

Society has long told women to be small, quiet, and never take up space. But when a woman steps up to the barbell, she defies these outdated rules. One woman in our study said:

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We haven’t got to (…) look a certain way or (…) be afraid that we will lift heavier weights than some men. Why would we?

This shift in attitude helps women see themselves in a different way. Instead of worrying about being objects that others will take a look at, they start to see their bodies as capable and robust. Another participant explained:

Lifting weights modified my life. It made me see myself or my body. My body wasn’t my value, it was a vehicle for me to do what I did in life.

This newfound confidence often carries over into other areas of life. As one woman said:

I like being a strong woman. It’s like going against the grain and it makes me stronger. When I’m physically strong, all the pieces on the earth seems lighter.

Feeling inspired? Here’s how to get started

1. Take your time

Start with body weight exercises like squats, lunges, and push-ups to construct a foundation of strength. Once you are feeling comfortable, add external weights, but keep them light at first. Focus on mastering compound movements like deadlifts, squats, and overhead presses. These exercises work multiple joints and muscle groups without delay, making your workouts simpler.

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2. Prioritize proper form

Always concentrate on proper form over lifting heavier weights. Poor form can lead to injury, so learning how to do each exercise appropriately is vital. To enable you to overcome this, consider working with an exercise skilled who can provide personalized guidance and be sure you’re doing the exercises appropriately, at the very least at first.

Woman taking a lunge outdoors.
Bodyweight exercises similar to lunges are a great way to start lifting weights.
antoniodiaz/Shutterstock

3. Consistency is vital

As with any fitness program, consistency is vital. Two to three sessions per week is enough for most ladies to see benefits. And don’t be afraid to take up space within the gym—remember, you belong there identical to anyone else.

4. Find a community

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Finally, join a community. There’s nothing like being surrounded by a group of strong women to encourage and motivate you. Engaging in a supportive community could make your strength training journey more enjoyable and rewarding, whether it’s a live class or an internet forum.

Are there any disadvantages?

Gym memberships will be expensive, especially for specialist weightlifting gyms. Home equipment is an option, but high-quality barbells and weightlifting equipment can come at a high price.

Additionally, for women who’ve to mix work with family responsibilities, finding time to go to the gym two or thrice a week will be a challenge.

If you are afraid of becoming too “abundant”, it is extremely difficult women gain muscle mass like bodybuilders, without the use of pharmaceuticals.

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The biggest risks come from poor technique or trying to lift an excessive amount of weight too soon – problems that may easily be avoided with a little guidance.

 

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com

Health and Wellness

President of HBCU will submit a request for a donor of organs in graduation

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Livingstone College, organ Donation, kidney


President HBCU prays that a member of his school community may also help him find an organ donor.

Dr. Anthony J. Davis, president of Livingstone College, has been fighting kidney failure for almost two years. Since the diagnosis, Davis has undergone almost 10 hours of dialysis treatment at night, and was also juggling the duties of institutions. During the last ceremony of starting Livingstone, May 3 revealed his tragic request for a donor of organs.

“When the Lord is a blessing, the enemy begins to play”, he shared Graduate class, on.

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Davis stays involved in lifting the college and her body, despite his medical failures. He remains to be working on increasing registration and recruitment, remaining at the highest of his goals to lift Livingstone. His term also recorded a donation of two anonymous gifts price $ 10 million per school.

Describing his health journey, he also noticed that none of his members of the family was entitled to a match because of their different blood groups.

“I said, my children, what is happiness? They have a good mother’s appearance and her blood group,” he shared the group’s laughter.

His emotional speech also inspired graduates to beat obstacles that they might encounter in their lives. Davis also began the “Be my match” campaign to assist search. The “Be My Match” initiative encourages those in the HBCU Livcustone community and out of doors of it to get to know a living donor. Davis expressed the hope and faith that his public declaration concerning the need for a donor would cause his community to seek out a match.

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Blacks are disproportionately affected by kidney disease. According to the National Institute of Health, the 2023 annual report showed that this demographic group Accounts 30% of all individuals with final kidney disease (ESKD). Black are also 4 times more exposed to death because of their ECOD than their white counterparts, because of which their ability to seek out a match is more essential than ever.

Bearing in mind these numbers, Davis hopes that his network will strengthen this campaign to the masses to assist the educator and supporter of HBCu save his life. When he finished his powerful and key message, the category of 2025 and Davis hope that in the subsequent era of their lives with latest prosperity.

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This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Health and Wellness

What does an ecological cosmetic brand really mean? – essence

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What does an ecological cosmetic brand really mean? Experts weigh

Andriy Onceufriyenko / Getty Images

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“Being ecological is not only a fashionable password” S’able Labs The founding father of Sabrina Elba says Essence. With growing cosmetic products without parabens 80 percent faster Than the final market and a couple of out of 5 consumers searching for “natural” ingredients during shopping, “Clean Beauty” reached $ 400 million On sale yearly.

Isamaya Beauty and saving the great thing about the cooperating Biodegradable cleansing clothsDavines hair care brand turned Regenerative agricultureAnd the cartridges have gotten increasingly more. However, other cosmetic brands are within the face of a response to mislead the claim of sustainable development. Lately, Dr. Bronners dropped B Corp Sustainable development certification, claiming that the usual has been violated with the principles enabling the “rinsing” brands, and never even checking the impact on human rights and the impact on the environmental chain environment.

Many brands say that it’s “clean”, but Elba indicates that products marked as “natural” can contain only a small percentage of natural ingredients, while the remaining is synthetic. “If the product was really 100% natural, it would probably require cooling because it would not contain preservatives,” he says. Alternatively, “an excessive source of some ingredients can harm the environment, and in many cases synthetic ingredients can be a more responsible choice when properly used.”

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“Pure” beauty is treated as a trend, while “words such as” pure “,” non -toxic “and” natural “are thrown without regulation or standard definitions, and unfortunately leaves room for washing with rinsing,” says the founding father of Klir Lesley Thornton. “We are in an era in which marketing often overtakes the intention.” By misleading money consumers, brands often use well -sounding conditions to cover dirty business practices that require using water, people and other resources.

While the packaging accounts for 70 percent of the cosmetics industry waste, the availability chain begins much sooner than the components of the minimalist bottle. BloomeffetsThe skincare brand known from the list of ingredients Tulip-Forward uses “balanced Dutch agricultural practices” for its supply chain in form. Works through “Upcycling imperfect tulip bulbs, which are considered a” waste “and would be rejected [since] Only perfectly shaped bulbs can be sold by farmers, “says the founder and general director of Bloomeffets Kim van Haaster.

“Regenerative agriculture, which supports healthy soil and biological diversity, is a much better way for balanced sources of ingredients, which causes higher quality, more effective products,” adds Elba. In the case of S’able Labs, constructing relationships with ethical partners, equivalent to Farm Africa, an international organization working on the development of resistant rural Africa, wherein people and the environment develop, is just as vital because the product.

But can cosmetic brands really be environmentally friendly? The truth is: the words themselves are empty. “Being friendly to the cosmetic brand means adopting sustainable development at every stage of the process-from obtaining ingredients for packaging,” says Elba. “Although we cannot deny that every industry, including beauty, has a certain level of environmental impact, the key is how the brand is involved to minimize it.”

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Most brands reduce sustainable development into the plant formula itself, without inserting work to make sure the regeneration of the soil they use, the ingredients are obtained ethically, and individuals are treated truthfully. Meanwhile, influencer, excessive packaging and bad agricultural practices prevent branded awareness of brands. “We don’t need more products – we need better products,” says Thornton. “It’s not about doing everything – it’s about doing the right things.”

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

What are the key risk factors for the development of degenerative knee joints? We analyzed the evidence

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Bone and joint inflammation is the most typical articular diseaseaffects Over 3 million Australians and it’s over 500 million people around the world.

. knee It is the mostly affected joint, but osteoque and arthritis may also affect other joints, including hips and hands. The condition causes painful and rigid joints.

For someone with degenerative knee disease, easy classes that many individuals take for granted, equivalent to walking, walking on the stairs or crouching, could be very difficult.

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Currently, there isn’t any cure for bone and joint inflammation. The most available treatments, equivalent to exerciseWalking AIDS and Ledines (including Paracetamol AND Non -steroidal anti -inflammatory drugs), Focus on managing symptoms. But it’s important to contemplate first of all how we are able to prevent bone and knee inflammation.

With this in mind, we now have conducted a scientific review to summarize the risk factors for the development of knee and knee inflammation. Our findings, published today in the journal Bone and cartilage inflammationIt will help us higher understand how you can reduce the risk of this state.

What we found

We collected data from the research, which over time occurred for people to envision which risk factors were related to developing knee inflammation. We included a complete of 131 studies, with the participation of over 5 million people.

We have identified over 150 factors that affected the risk of developing osteoarthritis and knee joints.

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Some key factors that increased the risk of developing degenerative knee arthritis, included obese or obesity, knee injuries and skilled physical activity, equivalent to lifting heavy objects and shift work.

We also found several other possible risk factors, including:

  • Eating large amounts of ultra-processed food (including “junk dishes”, sweet drinks and processed meats)

  • Poor sleep quality (for example, sleeping lower than six hours a day or having 1-2 restless nights per week)

  • I feel depressed.

Being obese or obesity and knee injury in the past constituted 14% of the general risk of developing osteoarthritis of knee joints.

In other words, if we were capable of completely remove these two risk factors, we could potentially reduce the incidence of osteoarthritis in the population by 14%.

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Women had almost twice the risk of developing osteoarthritis, and the older age was barely related to developing knee bone inflammation.

Knee and knee inflammation affects tens of millions of people around the world.
Tofiqu Barbhuiya/Pexels

Protective factors

On the other hand, we now have found that some factors may reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis and knee. They included after Mediterranean weight loss plan (which incorporates so much of vegetables, olive oil, nuts, fruits and healthy fats present in fish) and after a weight loss plan in fiber.

Avoiding things that increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis, equivalent to a weight loss plan wealthy in ultra-processed food, knee damage, weight gain and weightlifting, may also help an individual reduce the risk of developing condition.

Exercise is effective treatment for osteoarthritis. It can reduce pain and improve the function.

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Our study didn’t have enough information to find out what types of physical activity (for example, walking, running, swimming) and the way much time spent on these activities can reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee joint, so that is a very important area for future research.

How can we explain these links?

The research we included didn’t generally examine possible mechanisms combining key risk factors with the development of degenerative knee joints.

However, other studies can ensure helpful insights. A knee injury can result in knee instability and extra knee consumption that may result in osteoarthritis and knee. Similarly, Professional physical activity Such as kneeling, squatting, climbing or severe lifting can increase the risk of consumption on the knee.

A poor dream was related weight gain AND depression.

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. Duration and sleep quality It was found that it affects how much we eat and hormones responsible for regulating metabolism. Depression was related to reduced physical activity which might result in weight gain. Wearing a further weight can Increase the knee load and contribute to osteoarthritis.

Shift works can result in Bad dietary decisions AND lack of sleepwhich, in turn, can increase the risk of knee and knee inflammation.

It seems, due to this fact, that although the risk factors we discover can contribute individually to the development of degenerative knee disease, they may also affect together to extend risk.

It will not be clear why women are more exposed to the development of knee joints. However, this might be on account of the combination of factors, on this lifestyle, biological and hormonal factors.

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The Mediterranean weight loss plan is high in polyphenols, which perhaps reduce body inflammation and cartilage destruction. In this fashion, it may well reduce the risk of developing bone and knee inflammation.

A middle -aged couple runs in the park.
Lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of knee -length degenerative disease.
Peopleimages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

Most risk factors are modified

There were some restrictions with the available evidence. Most studies were based on populations from the United States or didn’t report on ethnic origin. We do not know much about the risk of developing osteoarthritis in some groups, equivalent to people from Latin, African and south -eastern environments. We need more research examining risk factors in other countries and populations.

Nevertheless, such a review allows us to raised understand what you’ll be able to do to scale back the risk of developing osteoarthritis.

We have found that almost all risk factors related to the developing osteoarthritis are modified, which suggests that they could be modified or higher managed with a healthy weight loss plan and lifestyle. Healthy eating, maintaining healthy weight and taking proactive steps to forestall injuries in the workplace and sports communities can potentially reduce the risk of developing this state.

Public health strategies aimed toward encouraging healthy eating and weight reduction (for example, subsidized nutrition programs and academic programs from an early age to advertise the optimal weight loss plan and physical activity) may reduce the burden on degenerative disease of the knee joints, and now have broader health advantages.

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Programs equivalent to these, in addition to reducing heavy lifting in the workplace, ought to be the subject of government strategies to unravel the burden of this painful state around the world.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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