Former England national curling team member discusses all things women’s fitness

January is the month that sees women across the UK on a mission to lose weight with latest NHS stats revealing that 30% of women are morbidly obese or obese and 31% are classified as overweight. New research and data from trials comparing full-body resistance training over 4 weeks have shown that resistance training is much more effective in controlling body fat than non-exercise control. Resistance exercise elicits reductions of up to 1.4% of body fat in healthy adults. 58 case studies were carried out at the University of New South Wales which showed that resistance training reduced body fat by 1.46%, body mass by 0.55% and visceral fat by 0.49%, proving that strength training can lead to fat loss.

Further research has found that weight loss programmes are not as effective as physical activity when it comes to controlling obesity. A study published in I Science looked at existing research on obesity and found obesity has increased approximately three-fold in the past 40 years. The research also found that mortality risks are considerably reduced with cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity and weight loss alone is not consistent in lowering mortality. More emphasis should be put on exercise than diet, as repeated weight loss can contribute to weight gain, which leads to weight cycling associated with major health risks.

Curves is specially designed for women, offering 30-minute full-body workout sessions, combining strength training with cardio activity and stretching to create lean muscle, raise your metabolism, burn fat, and tone women of all ages and fitness levels.

Aston spoke to sports specialist at Curves Fiona Hawker.

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