It is a shame that many women miss out on the incredible benefits that strength training exercise has to offer because of old fashioned and mistaken beliefs regarding this very important element of fitness.

When women are asked about their fitness goals, many say they would like to lose weight, feel stronger, become more toned and have more energy. Often though, women try to achieve these goals by focusing exclusively on aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging or cycling. This is often because they do not understand what strength training exercise can do for them or they fear that they will get big and bulky if they do it.

Firstly, don't buy into the old perceptions about strength training making you big and bulky. Let's get this right ? an excess of body fat will make you big and bulky. Don't blame the little bit of muscle under the bulky fat for causing this.

If you have an unhealthy body composition - too much body fat and not enough lean muscle tissue your body's engine is simply not powerful enough to keep body fat from piling on to your body.

You will achieve all of your weight loss and fitness goals with strength training. No other type of exercise can give you such outstanding results. Don't fall for misleading information that all you need to do is to go walking to get into shape.

We all have legs and we all walk, this is not a proper exercise program. You are wasting your time and energy if you think this is going to work and will be very disappointed with your lack of results. Surely you didn't think it would be as easy as going for a walk and that you wouldn't need to put some effort into proper exercise?

Strength training will promote positive changes in your body composition such as decreased body fat levels, will tone your muscles - lifting and firming them and actually make your body smaller. The real big benefit is that strength training will speed your metabolism (the rate you burn calories) so you are burning more fuel every minute of the day and night seven days a week. Just try and get this from aerobic activity. Not likely?not ever!

Women can also benefit from having strong and toned muscles as it is a cheap and effective beauty aid. We can get surgery, injections and face lifts but no doctor can give us vital and youthful looking muscle. When muscles get stronger they grow into a more pleasing shape, tighter and firmer and thanks to our female hormones, they don't get much bigger.

Your strength training program will bring additional benefits such as increased bone mineral density. With osteoporosis being a serious health threat to women, it makes sense to help prevent it by making your bones as strong, resilient and healthy as possible.

If one of your goals is weight loss, strength training exercise may be the key that unlocks your potential for the strong, healthy body you dream of. While you can burn calories during a strength training session, the biggest impact on weight loss or weight maintenance is a revved up metabolism.

Don't let old fashioned beliefs deny you the many wonderful benefits that this very special type of exercise can deliver to you. When you see it's powerful anti aging magic you will wish you had started years ago. But you can still catch up as it can wipe years or even decades off your looks and the way your body functions. Try it for yourself and see.