I'm so glad that the attitudes about women and weight training are shifting. There are still some old prejudices out there, but it's encouraging to see that many people are more informed about the benefits that weight training provides. I love seeing studies and articles touting the many health benefits of strength training and other forms of exercise for women.
My mother was born in 1930, and I fought her endlessly on this topic. No matter what I said or what evidence I gave to support my views, she always held that "muscle turns to fat" and "women will bulk-up" and that it wasn't "feminine." I just gave up, because her ideas about what women should look and act like were not only nauseating, but definitely not me.
Her ideal of feminine beauty was thin, frail, helpless, and stupid (and blonde--no offense to blondes intended). And the only acceptable forms of exercise for a female were walking, tennis, and golf. We don't have this conversation any more, because she has dementia and doesn't even know who I am. But she once gave herself a double hernia (requiring surgery) by trying to lift something without help. And she had to have knee surgery because she would only walk and not do any other cross-training exercise to strengthen supporting muscles.
My Mother-in-Law is a decade younger, but holds similar views. She is a sweet woman and I love her very much. I know she doesn't like the idea of weight training, but she has tact enough to not say anything. She has had osteoporosis for years. And her husband just had back surgery and can't lift anything, so she is practically helpless in that regard. She was so concerned for me because I carried a 5-gallon jug of water down to the cellar in their cabin. She was so afraid that I would hurt my back or something. I didn't tell her what kind of weight I can lift, but I'm glad that I can!
Go Catheletes!
My mother was born in 1930, and I fought her endlessly on this topic. No matter what I said or what evidence I gave to support my views, she always held that "muscle turns to fat" and "women will bulk-up" and that it wasn't "feminine." I just gave up, because her ideas about what women should look and act like were not only nauseating, but definitely not me.
Her ideal of feminine beauty was thin, frail, helpless, and stupid (and blonde--no offense to blondes intended). And the only acceptable forms of exercise for a female were walking, tennis, and golf. We don't have this conversation any more, because she has dementia and doesn't even know who I am. But she once gave herself a double hernia (requiring surgery) by trying to lift something without help. And she had to have knee surgery because she would only walk and not do any other cross-training exercise to strengthen supporting muscles.My Mother-in-Law is a decade younger, but holds similar views. She is a sweet woman and I love her very much. I know she doesn't like the idea of weight training, but she has tact enough to not say anything. She has had osteoporosis for years. And her husband just had back surgery and can't lift anything, so she is practically helpless in that regard. She was so concerned for me because I carried a 5-gallon jug of water down to the cellar in their cabin.
She was so afraid that I would hurt my back or something. I didn't tell her what kind of weight I can lift, but I'm glad that I can!Go Catheletes!
