Calling all strong women! Are you looking to transform your body and boost your strength? No matter what age or fitness level you are, lifting weights is a great way to build core strength, grip strength, and muscle mass. This helps with metabolism, hormones, decreasing stress and creating overall health and well being.

Whether you have a specific goal in mind, or you want better endurance for running a marathon, there are so many benefits to having muscle. Here are some considerations to keep in mind.

Don’t be afraid to start small

Consistency is key, and that means finding a routine that you can sustain over time. A great starting place is aiming to get to the gym twice a week, then up it to 3 times per week. Train consistently and go for walks. Simple.

Focus on your nutrition and be sure you’re eating enough

While there are shortcuts to getting muscle, such as anabolics, if you really want to start building muscle, you have to prioritize nutrition and recovery along with your workouts. Aim for 25-30 grams of protein per meal and a balance of protein, carbs and fats. Enjoy foods that keep you feeling satisfied and that are high in fiber, too. Learn if you have been eating too few calories and if so, slowly increase your calories. Many women who have been on restrictive diets for years will have to transition out of this pattern in order to give their bodies the energy they need to train properly.

Understand impacts on your hormones and look at the big picture

Everything we do affects how we feel and how we are able to train. It all matters:

Exercise
Sleep
Stress
Imbalances in the gut
Getting outside in nature
Relationships and how they impact our mood
Hormones
Every other factor that affects your body, mind and spirit ;) You’re unique and it’s all connected!

Some key hormones to think about are insulin, cortisol, estrogen and testosterone. There are simple ways to increase testosterone as a way to improve your bone mass, enhance fat loss, and build muscle. You can do it naturally by getting more vitamin D, zinc, lowering sugar intake, and consuming more healthy fats.

Your insulin levels are regulated by what you eat, how often, and how much. Depending on your hormonal balance, you may experience strong cravings. Cortisol can be thought of as the stress hormone, and can impact you in different ways. Overdoing it on cardio can put your cortisol out of whack, plus you want to be aware of if your cortisol has been high for a long period of time, or perhaps at the wrong time of day (like before you’re trying to sleep). Balancing your blood sugar (insulin) and your cortisol are essential. Do some research about these hormones as well as the balance of estrogen and testosterone, and talk to your doctor about your hormones especially if you think something is off.

Consider your cravings

Are you experiencing strong sugar cravings? Here are a few ways to help reduce them:

Be mindful of your stress and what behavioral patterns you have around stress eating.
Limit processed foods. They tend to be high in sugar, sometimes when you wouldn't expect it, like with yogurt, bread, sauces, ketchup, fruit juice, spaghetti sauce, sports drinks, or granola.
Consider taking a probiotic.
Sleep! Your stress hormones might be out of whack and getting more and proper rest can help this.
Eat sour foods like lemon and lime, or fermented foods like sauerkraut.
Think about your digestion. Not being able to process the food you eat, not being able to process waste effectively... it all matters.
If you're craving something like ice cream, you might be lacking in healthy fats. Nuts and avocado are good for this.

Train regularly

The key to any effective workout is consistency. Training regularly is difficult for many women because they may not have the time. But we've got to remember that if we want to build muscle, strength, or anything that demands a major physiological change, we've got to send that signal on a regular basis. The best thing you can do is to find an exercise regime that you can realistically stick to. The fact is that you don't need to go to the gym 7 days a week. As long as you are doing the bare minimum of 2 sessions a week, but optimally 3, this is more than enough, as long as you are focusing on the right workouts, such as compound moves.

Five basics to learn and learn well: Push, pull, squat, hinge, loaded carry.

Work on progressive overload

This is a great principle that is all about training heavier. Progressive overload is about handling more than you can physically lift, and increasing weight strategically (generally following a 10% increase each week will keep you in a healthy, safe range). As long as you keep challenging yourself, this is going to send the message that your body needs to adapt in order to deal with the challenges. It's important to remember that you also want to rest properly, eat well, and control your stress.

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