Your muscle mass is essentially your gateway to a better quality of life. The more muscle you have, generally, the fewer aches & pains and the better your body functions. Here’s why you should be strength training as you age.

But first…

What exercises shouldn’t you be doing?

As you age, your body changes. If you push yourself to hard or do certain activities, you could end up hurting yourself. That doesn’t mean you should avoid strength training. Simply replace those exercises with ones that are more appropriate. Here are the most common exercises seniors should avoid and what to replace them with (Click Or Tap Here).

What is strength training?

Strength training exercises are performed with pushing and pulling movements that work against the weight of an object, or against body weight.

Once thought of as the stuff of bodybuilders, weight-lifting has been gaining popularity fast amongst women and older adults – and for good reason!  Every year, research is showing us more and more benefits of strength training. These benefits include:

Does strength training build stronger bones?

Yes — strength training doesn’t just build muscle mass, it also builds and strengthens your bones. During weight training, muscles push and pull on the bones they’re attached to, which activates bone cells.  This leads to the strengthening of those bones. Because of this, strength training helps to reduce the risk of bone fracture, and can help you to avoid, or fight back against osteoporosis.

Can strength training speed up metabolism and prevent weight gain?

Yes — strength training is one of the most effective tools for fighting age-related weight gain. Metabolism naturally slows as we age – which can make it more difficult to control weight gain. And when it comes to fighting that weight gain, strength training is the perfect example of working smarter – not harder. 

Unlike aerobic exercises, which only burn calories so long as they are being performed, new research has shown that strength-training exercises increase your resting metabolic rate (the calories burned during normal daily activities – such as sitting, eating, and sleeping). This means that individuals with a strength training routine burn more calories… even while they’re watching TV! 

Does strength training make everyday tasks easier?

Absolutely — building stronger muscles directly helps you maintain your independence and do daily tasks with less effort. Sarcopenia – the age-related loss of muscle – affects up to 13% of adults in their 60s, and up to 50% of adults over the age of 80. But studies have shown that sarcopenia can be decreased (and even reversed!) with resistance training. 

The preservation – and improvement of – muscle mass can help you to safeguard and regain your independence.

Does strength training improve your mood?

Yes — strength training releases endorphins that can improve your mood almost immediately, even before you see physical results. Studies have shown that regular strength training improves mood significantly – even before subjects become physically stronger from the exercise!

So why not try your hand at strength training today? There’s nothing to lose – and everything to gain! 

Try Lower Body Strengthening today!