Put The Load Right on Me: Why EVERYONE Should Lift Weights. 🏋🏻‍♀️

Stop sweating, just give it a shot.

4 min read

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IT’S GETTING HOT IN HERRRRE

I like a good song pun but this weather is no joke, y’all.  Heat-related deaths are on the rise and one look at Texas shows how ill-prepared we continue to be. Extreme heat can have devastating ripple effects- power outages lead to drought, leading to a range of heat-related illnesses, etc. And sadly we can only control so much. When it’s more than just taking off all your clothes, please be prepared:

• Stay hydrated. Tip: if you’re feeling thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Keep hydration support like LMNT on hand (sweet deals ahead for paid subscribers)

• Stock up on water to last 24-48 hours in a power outage.

• Don’t blast your A/C in rooms that aren’t in use. 

The climes they are a-changin’ and ironically, our overuse of air conditioning is partly to blame. Another culprit? Artificial Intelligence. (All the more reason to keep supporting your AI-free publications… 👀 )

DANCE INTO THE FIRE

It seems counterintuitive to step into the sauna when it’s swampy outside but you may be doing yourself a favor. Ironically, deliberate exposure to heat actually helps us self-regulate in hotter temps to some degree (ha, climate humor). Bonus: it can also improve athletic performance.

For more on finding joy in the hot/cold experience, listen to my latest pod with Remedy Place founder Dr Jonathan Leary: Self-Care is the New Happy Hour, and visit our hot friends at HigherDose for tips and best-in-class products for home.

JUST YOU WEIGHT

In this weather, sweaty exercise becomes very unappealing, obvi- a good reason to change up your workout and add more weight training days. And if you need more motivation than that, look at all the boxes you can check by lifting weights:

• For women, especially during perimenopause and menopause.  Clothes fit, back pain subsides, tummies get flat, are you paying attention yet? Refresh on this topic with my chat with Holistic Physical Therapist Patricia Ladis

• For longevity. The correlation between exercise and longevity feels obvious, but specifically adding weights can be the equivalent difference between a nonsmoker and someone with a half-a-pack-a-day habit. 😮

• For sleep. All exercise helps, but lifting weights improves your ability to fall asleep, have fewer sleep disturbances, wake up less at night, have deeper restorative rest, and sleep longer.

HERE’S A TIP, MAKE THE CHANGE

So now you’ve learned that adding weights to your week is kind of a thing, regardless of how much or how little you work out. And even outside of the gym, it’s easier than you think to sneak some heavy loads into your day. It’s a lot of tips already, but it’s hot, I’m feeling loose, so here you go:

• Carry your heavy bags in spite of convenience: this means walk home from the store instead of driving or get out of the Uber ahead of your stop. 

• Carry that luggage up the stairs instead of taking the elevator/escalator.

• Put some sandbags, soup cans, what-have-you in a backpack when you walk the dog. Hell, carry your dog, carry your kid, just lift heavy things and lift them often. 

Schlep with intention! Do I need to remind you about rucking?  ‘Cuz I will.

Weekend regards for everyone, but deals and joy bombs ahead for paid subscribers only—if you haven’t upgraded, don’t weight. 😬 🤗

HOLD ON, WE’RE HALFWAY THERE

• One of my favorite oral wellness brands is now available on Amazon, and having a massive sale!….