Strength Training
Strength training has traditionally been regarded as a relatively peripheral activity that is only of real interest to bodybuilders. Only recently have the health benefits of strength training been fully understood – and it is now widely acknowledged that muscular fitness plays a key role in nurturing a healthy body.
Here are some reasons why you should weight train:
Prevent Injury
Muscular strength is crucial in preventing
injury. Your muscles support fragile joints and protect them from
jarring injuries and sprains, while also providing a better sense of
balance. Improved muscular strength means that you are a) less likely to
take a tumble and b) if you do, you are less likely to sustain an injury.
This is something that becomes increasingly important in later life, as research shows that one in three people over the age of 65 falls at least once a year.
Speed Up Your Metabolism
Although your metabolism actually
refers to the number of calories your body is using at any given moment,
most people when they use the word are referring to their resting
metabolism – the number of calories the body uses in order to simply
keep you alive.
The brain, heart, bones, muscles and all your other organs – your fat-free mass - need calories to power them 24 hours a day; the greater your fat-free mass, the more calories you burn up when you are just plonked in front of the telly.
And as you'll find increasing your brain or heart size rather difficult, the only way to increase your resting metabolism is to convert more fat to muscle.
Maintain Healthy Bones
We all start out in life with strong,
healthy bones, but as we age and hit our mid-thirties we begin to lose
bone density. This can lead to osteoporosis in later life – a bone
deficiency disease that results in brittle bones that are prone to
fracture.
With regular weight training we can slow down this process by up to 50%, and even replace lost bone tissue.
Ensure Your Independence
As we get older, muscle strength
fades away. By the age of 65, people who don’t exercise will have lost
around 40% of their strength. The upshot of losing physical strength is
that you become less able to cope with everyday activity – things we
take for granted become increasingly difficult.
By using regular strength training we can maintain muscle strength well into later life, retaining our independence and vitality.
