The wonder of weightlifting | Jaime Seeman (re-release)
TED Talks Daily
In this re-released TED Talk, obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Jaime Seeman argues that resistance training is one of the most powerful interventions for combating women's leading causes of
Key takeaways
- Dr. Jaime Seeman highlights a stark gym culture disparity: studies show there are 27 men using free weights for every one woman.
- The CDC identifies heart disease, cancer, and stroke as the top three killers of women, with metabolic disease being a major contributing factor that muscle mass can help offset.
Main topics
- Women's health and longevity
- Weightlifting myths debunked
Notable quotes
"You were built for bigger and better things."
Conclusion
The episode delivers a compelling, evidence-based argument that reframes weightlifting
Transcript preview
Speaker 1 (0:01) you You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. Growing up obstetrician and gynecologist, Jamie Seaman loved sports, but she couldn't help comparing herself to the images of beauty she saw everywhere, feeling like she never quite measured up. This was before influencers and filters, when the standard came from magazine covers. Speaker 3 (0:25) Those Cosmo cover girls, well, they didn't have a lot of muscles. Frankly, they looked kind of frail, somewhat unhealthy. But to the world, they were beautiful and they were idolized. And as a young girl, I let that frame the way that I looked and thought about myself. Speaker 1 (0:44) That pressure to look a certain way doesn't just shape how we see our bodies, it shapes how we care for them. In this talk, Jamie, for whom weightlifting is a passion, takes on the myths that keep women out of the weight room. Through her own life and her work with patients, she's found something genuinely alarming. That strength training, one of the most powerful things any of us can do for our health, is still something a lot of women are told isn't for them. You've seen it when you walk Speaker 3 (1:09) into the gym, this big room of treadmills, ellipticals, and stair climbers filled with women. But in the Journal of Exercise Science, they found for every woman that was using the free weight section of the gym, there was 27 men. Speaker 1 (1:25) Jamie makes the case that building muscle isn't about how you look, it's about health. And in some cases, it can quite literally be the difference between life and death. It's all coming up right after a short break. Speaker 5 (1:43) Support comes from WISE, the smart way to manage the currencies you need around the world. Your life is global. Your money should be too. Some providers promise no fees on overseas transfers. Don't be fooled. Extra costs often hide in bloated exchange rates. Choose WISE. You can send, spend and receive money in over 40 currencies. Count on the exchange rates that you'd usually see on Google. That's how millions save billions on hidden fees. Be smart. Get WISE. Visit WISE.com. Speaker 4 (2:12) How do I recover from a friendship breakup? How come there's nowhere to hang out anymore? Why do I feel lonely when I can communicate with anyone and everyone through my phone? These are the questions that you're not alone in asking. And that's where our new podcast, Corner Piece, comes in to start small on life's biggest questions. I'm Taha, and with my friends, Sabrina and Melissa, we're going to explore life's ungooglable questions on this new podcast with Ted. Come hang out with us on Corner Piece with new episodes every other Thursday, wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 2 (2:52) And now, Speaker 1 (2:53) our TED Talk of the day. Speaker 3 (2:55) As a little girl, I loved playing sports. I also loved painting my fingernails and parading around my mother's house in her high-heeled shoes. From the beginning of time, I have lived in contrasting worlds, contrasting and often conflicting ideas about what women should and shouldn't do, or maybe how we should and shouldn't look. A pivotal moment