Real women do pushups part 3: The benefits

This week I've advocated for women to do pushups, and I've given some reviews of videos on YouTube to watch for instruction on how to do pushups.

But I haven't yet discussed why pushups are good for women.

The reason is simple: They offer several benefits that give you more strength to do the activities you do every day.

Pushups are efficient, and they are cheap because you can do them almost anywhere.

However, they are not easy! It does take time and dedication to train yourself to be able to do them -- and do them properly -- but the benefits are worth it.

What are the benefits for women to do pushups?

According to Megafitnesscenter.com, pushups offer the advantages of stretching, weightlifting and cardiovascular all in one exercise. "Apart from increasing upper body strength, a pushup workout program, when pursued properly, also develops abdominal and hip stability. This leads to a more balanced upper and lower body as well as good shoulder, trunk and hip movements," the site says.

Lifestyle Lounge offers these points:

• Pushups proffer the benefits of stretching, weightlifting and cardiovascular exercise as well.


• It also helps to get more toned shoulders, trunk, butt, upper and lower body.


• Pushup exercise, if pursued rightly, increases upper body strength and brings about more abdominal and hip stability.


• A workout program of pushups works on large number of muscle groups and helps to retain whole body fitness.


• It actively works the chest, triceps and deltoids together with stretching of back and the biceps.


• Undoubtedly, pushup is the best exercise for the chest, but it is a great exercise for the abdominal and lower back muscles. Besides all of the above, it works for the quadriceps too.

How do all of these benefits translate to everyday life?

Here are some ways doing pushups and other upper-body exercises have helped me.

I do the grocery shopping, and I have three cats. Thus, it falls to me to buy cat litter and cat food. I am strong enough to lift a 20-pound bag of cat litter and a 25-pound bag of cat food from a low grocery shelf and into my bascart without strain.

Are you a cat or dog owner? Can you lift big bags of food or litter? Wouldn't it be great if you could?

I am doing a gardening project in my backyard. This has involved transplanting several boxwood bushes. I have no trouble wielding the shovel to dig a hole, then dig the tree up and carry it across the yard to where I want it. Those bushes aren't the lightest things in the world, either!

Neither is a bag of soil. Have you ever tried to carry one across the yard? It’s much easier to lift or drag it where you need it with some strength in your arms, shoulders and core.

Gardening is a popular hobby, and I'll bet many of you do it in some form. Gardening requires a good amount of lifting, bending and stretching. How well are you able to perform your gardening tasks?

My husband and I have moved more times than I care to count, and since I have worked out at the gym and started doing pushups, I have been able to lift or help lift heavy boxes and furniture. It feels great to be able to pick up and move a 20- or 30-pound box and carry it myself without strain. As you might expect, I was sore the day after the move, but not injured. I knew my muscles would heal, and they did.

For those of you who have kids, upper body strength can help you lift them. Many times, if I see small children beg their mothers to lift them and carry them, one of two things will happen. The mom will tell the child, "I'm sorry, honey, I can't lift you. You're too heavy." Or the mom will lift the child using her back, not her core, legs and arms. (Perhaps proper lifting technique should be the subject of a future post!)

I've only seen one example of a mother who squatted down and lifted her child using her legs and arms. She had well-toned arms and shoulders. I'll bet she does a few pushups or other upper body exercises!

If you're a mother, wouldn't you like to be able to lift your child without fear of injuring yourself? Yes, they will eventually be too big for you to lift, but wouldn't it be great to lift and cuddle them close to you just a little longer?

Do pushups, and you can!