Question #9: As a woman, how important is a weight-training program? I’m concerned that I will end up looking too “muscley” and masculine.

Answer: You know that’s what I thought for a long time. I was concerned about getting too muscular so I wouldn’t lift weights. But here’s what I found out. It’s almost impossible for a woman to become too muscular without hours and hours of training accompanied by a high protein diet.

Today weight training is an integral part of my fitness routine because I know the benefits of building muscle. Studies show that between the ages of 20 and 30 we begin to lose muscle if we don’t do some form of weight-resistant exercise. As we lose muscle, our metabolism slows down. Every pound of muscle burns 35 to 40 calories a day, while one pound of fat burns only two calories. No wonder as we age it is easy to gain weight and get fatter if we don’t exercise.

Weight training was the key to speeding up my metabolism after many years of dieting had slowed it down. As I stated in the beginning of the article, I recommend training with weights at least two times a week. I weight train two to three times a week to reach my weight-loss goals, and then I weight train twice a week to maintain that fitness level.

Question #10: The numbers on the scale are not moving, but since I started working out, my clothes are fitting more loosely. What’s going on?

Answer: First of all, it’s important to understand that muscle weighs more than fat. When you start working out, you’re going to be building muscle and losing fat, so your body composition is going to change. You’ll be a lot smaller, even though the numbers on the scale may not change much at first. You’ll be able to fit into smaller clothing sizes because muscle is denser. In other words, one pound of muscle takes up less space than one pound of fat so you’ll be losing inches even if you’re not yet losing pounds.

So don’t worry about looking like the Incredible Hulk. You won’t. You’ll just look fit because you’ll be fit! And a higher fitness level will help you live a higher quality of life.

God desires for you to be blessed in every area of your life—spirit, soul and body.

The past several weeks I have been answering some frequently asked questions, and I would love to hear some of your questions.  Just send them to info@higherfitness.com.