Anti-Aging Benefits of Strength Training
There are many benefits to strength training for both men and women. The urban myths of females building manly muscle have long since been abolished and today more females than ever before are turning to weight training to keep fit and get curvy.
The well known benefits of strength training such as improved muscle tone, lower body fat, faster metabolism and more energy currently attract people to training with weights however there is even more to learn!
The exciting news I want to share is about the growing medical evidence around the anti-aging health benefits for your body. The benefits are even more significant for women, as strength training can counteract conditions which women have a greater risk of developing such as; osteoporosis. Research studies are providing more and more evidence of the longer term health benefits and improved quality of life we can achieve by maintaining muscle mass through weight training.
Anti-Aging highlights include:
Slower progression of Sarcopenia; Sarcopenia is the loss of lean muscle mass generally it can appear post 40 and accelerating after the age of 75. In individuals that develop this condition training is proven to slow the progression.
Staying Strong; aside from Sarcopenia muscle mass will decline naturally through the aging process, strength training promotes muscle retention. It’s important to know it is possible at any age in life with the right training program and diet to develop muscle. Historically, people incorrectly believed that as we age it’s not possible to build muscle and often resign themselves to a fait accompli of muscle regression.
Lean muscle mass will mean you are inherently stronger; Helping you to remain confident and independent. Recent research has also shown that that while men reach their peak strength in their late 20s and early 30s, women can maintain and develop peak strength into their 40s and even their early 50s. The longer you stay stronger the better your quality of life.
Protection for the skeletal frame; Muscle acts as a protective layer around our bones. This layer cushions against impacts and reduces the risk of fractures and breaks. There are two elements of protection; Lean muscle helps maintain core strength and stability meaning you are less prone to falling, however if you do receive an impact to the body the bones are protected by the layer of muscle surrounding it.
Weight training can prevent the onset of osteoporosis; Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones that affects men and women, especially women beyond menopause. The condition causes bones to become brittle and weak. The bones weaken because they becomes porous or “full of holes”. Training helps keep bones strong by causing the muscles and tendons to pull on the bones, this in turn stimulates bone cells to produce more bone preventing the porous structure from developing
Minimise the impact of menopausal symptoms; Menopausal and postmenopausal women suffer symptoms such as hot flushes, decrease muscle mass, increased weight gain and disrupted sleep. Weight training and lean muscle mass help to combat these symptoms in various ways. Lean muscle will help keep the body temperature regulated. Research also identifies that the onset of Hot Flushes is reduced significantly in the 24 hrs post training. Training will prevent loss of muscle mass, there is a two fold benefit to training; Calories burned as a direct result of the exercise additionally lean muscle even when resting burns more calories. Both these benefits help protect against weight gain. Training also improves the ability and quality of sleep.
This article outlines just a few of the benefits of strength training there are many more benefits both direct and indirect that all lead to a greater quality of living throughout your life...So if you're not already exercising with weights, get your gloves on and get lifting !
Contact me direct to talk about your training needs, we offer personal training in our private gym, virtual coaching programs along with many other options to suit your needs.
Ali Fitality