This year at my annual check-up, my doctor said something I didn't expect: “Have you considered strength training? You basically have no muscle.” This is true—and quite frankly, embarrassing. I have little-to-no beyond what I can muster lifting a carry-on into an airplane overhead compartment.
Still, I thought that was fine: I , eat , and have a . Oh, and I ay—10,000 at least—, just like I've been told to since I started reading women’s magazines. I’m in such optimal health, in fact, that I reversed my pre-diabetes—with the —last year.
I look and feel better than ever before and my prove it. Wouldn't this mean I'm doing everything right? Apparently not: Despite what I'd been led to believe about reigning supreme, strength and are equally-deserving fitness goals that countless women like myself have spent their lives overlooking. “As women, for as long as I can remember, it's been instilled into us to be ‘thin’ or have ‘six-pack abs,’ resulting in women spending hours spending hours doing cardio and crash dieting to fit into an ,” strength instructor tells However, health is so much more than being “thin,” unlike what many growing up.
“Cardio was often emphasized for women to , while strength training was seen as more for men,” adds Benny Zhang, certified personal trainer and fitness director at “Media and marketing reinforced this idea, focusing more on cardio workouts for women.” However, a sufficient exercise regimen is not unlike a.