We all want to be the fortunate ones that live to a good old age. But only if we have quality of life, right? We tend to associate senior citizens with being shorter, bent over and with little mobility. But we are seeing this less now and it doesn’t have to be this way! What can we do to ensure a longer, and better quality life, as we age? Eating well, more plants and less processed food, is one thing. Exercise is another. Any exercise or physical activity is good, but I want to specifically talk about the benefits of strength training. Firstly, how do we define strength training? It is also called resistance or weight training and it involves exercises that increase muscle strength by working against an outside force. This can be a weight, resistance band, weight machine (gym) or gravity/body weight. Any activity that makes your muscles work harder than usual and to the point of fatigue will increase its strength, size and power. But what are the benefits of this increased strength?........
Longevity and Better Quality of Life: Stronger muscles will enable independence, the ability to continue tasks and perform normal daily activities. It will improve balance, to avoid falls and reduce the risk of injury.
Increased Functionality: If strength exercises mimic your daily jobs, chores and movements it will make it easier to perform tasks like lifting your shopping, climbing the stairs or carrying and playing with children.
Chronic Disease Management: Regular training can help manage or reduce the risk of conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and back/joint pain. It can also improve insulin sensitivity (reducing inflammation), cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
Better Bone Health: Muscles under load place stress on the bones which stimulates bone growth and density. Therefore, strength exercises will reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
Enhanced Mental Health and Sleep: Resistance exercise has been shown to release endorphins (our happy hormones) which improve mood, anxiety and reduce symptoms of depression. Sleep is often found to be greatly improved (as long as you don’t exercise too close to bedtime).
Improved Metabolic Rate: Building muscle can increase resting metabolic rate, which means you are burning calories even when you are resting. This shows why strength training can be beneficial for weight management and for changing your body composition.
A Better Brain: New studies have shown that working the muscles of the body can help improve our memory and even reduce the risk of dementia. It showed that it was even more beneficial than doing mind puzzles like crosswords and sudoku!
Strength training leaves you feeling stronger, younger, more confident, functional, and less dependent on others. It will help you to grow old with vitality. It is never too late to start but what is important is consistency. Try to get in 2 sessions of weight/resistance training a week. A cardio workout or a walk and maybe a more gentle workout in-between, like yoga or pilates, would be a perfect week of exercise to keep you healthy and feeling great.
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