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MAKE STRENGTH TRAINING A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION
Allison Worley, Personal trainer
It’s that time of year when people start to think about how to improve themselves in the upcoming year. If you’re not already performing regular strength training, you should make it your new resolution. It’s no secret that moving your body helps you stay healthy, but if you’re only walking, playing sports, or attending your favorite cardio class, it’s time to add some strength training to your life. Muscles are not just for show and here are some compelling reasons to start lifting those dumbbells.
Your muscles aren’t what they were in your 30's, 40’s, 50’s …
The use it or lose it principle applies to our muscles and age-related muscle loss accelerates more once we’re in our 50's and beyond. Not only does our muscle mass deteriorate but the fibers get smaller and infiltrated with fat. Muscle stimulation from lifting weights is most effective for reversing age-related muscle loss. And the good news is that you can rebuild muscle at any age.
Muscle strength is not the same as muscle size.
Even more critical than the loss of muscle mass as we age is the loss of strength. Our muscle strength is dependent on how our nervous system interacts with the muscle and when we don’t challenge our muscles with strength training, we lose that connection. Nervous system deconditioning happens 2-5 times faster than the loss of muscle mass, but mindful strength training helps to maintain the neural connection.
Strength training can keep you self-sufficient.
If you don’t preserve your strength it’s going to get harder to get out of your chair, to perform daily activities or to enjoy your sport. A big benefit of strength training is that it improves balance and gait and allows you to do things for yourself from opening a jar to picking up your Amazon packages. You simply don’t get the same overall benefits if you are only doing cardio exercise such as walking, biking, or cardio machines. Yes, cardio exercise is important, but not at the expense of strength training.
Strength training can prevent falls.
The risk of falling becomes more of a reality as we age. A strong body enables us to stand with an upright posture which naturally helps with balance and coordination. Strength training not only improves muscular strength but also muscular power which gives us the ability to apply maximum strength over a short period of time – such as catching yourself if you start to fall.
Strengthening your muscles burns more calories and lowers blood sugar.
Muscle is for more than just movement. Strength training creates more lean muscle mass, and muscle is more metabolically active than fat. Muscle doesn’t burn fat directly, but it requires more energy (calorie burn) to maintain muscle than it does fat. Muscle is also the largest organ in our body – it stores and consumes more glucose (blood sugar) than any other tissue and actively strengthening our muscles helps to move sugar out of the blood.
Lifting weights may help you live longer.
While there are no studies which conclusively prove that lifting weights makes us live longer, we do know that having more lean body mass and strength helps us to be more active, reduces the risk of debilitating falls and helps us to remain sociable and enjoy life more.
Getting stronger is a change for the better.
Age related hormone changes differ in men and women, but the resulting increase in body fat, decrease in lean muscle mass, weight gain and bone density issues affect us all and can lead to a poor body image and increased feelings of anxiety and depression. Lifting weights can make us feel empowered, more comfortable in our skin and more confident in our lives.
If you’re not sure how to start on your muscle building journey, or if you’re looking for a new direction to see better results, your best bet is to consult with an experienced personal trainer in Sun City. The most important aspect of successful weight training is to set your weight and number of repetitions. Ideally, you should select a weight which enables you to do 10-15 repetitions … not more. The last few reps of your set should be doable but challenging. You’ll rest 30 seconds to a minute before repeating the exercise, and you should have stimulated your muscles enough with 10-15 repetitions to feel that you have earned a short rest. Repeat your set 2-3 times.
Workouts don’t get easier – you get stronger and more able to challenge yourself. When you get familiar and comfortable with your routine, it’s time to change it up by adding a little more weight, or some new exercises. It is in the challenge that the positive changes happen.
So, make a resolution to take the first step towards starting strength training, or a step in a new and challenging strength training direction. It doesn’t have to be a big step – any step forward is progress. Looking for the perfect strength training routine, the perfect outfit, or the perfect day to start can be stressful but focusing on small steps within the process, rather than perfection, allows you to move forward. Small achievements accumulate and are evidence of progress - successes that can be enjoyed even if they aren’t perfect. The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is outstanding!
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