Things You Should Know Thursday: Strength Training Benefits

As I prepare a presentation for a breakfast club tomorrow morning about strength training, I realized this information would be great to share with you! Do you know the benefits of adding strength training into your workout routine? Here are just a few:

• Improve balance, stability and coordination
• Increase bone density
• Reduce the signs and symptoms of chronic illnesses; arthritis and back pain
• Higher metabolic rate, up to 15%
• Reduced risk of heart disease
• Sleep improvement
• Change the SHAPE of your body

There is a natural decline in lean body mass and increase in fat mass that occurs with age. It's unfair, but that's the facts. HOWEVER, strength training can and will combat this decline!

“With exercise and an active lifestyle, we can begin to bring some muscle back. And the really good news is that exercise can help at any age. Several studies have compared people between 70 and 80 years old with people 20 to 30 years old engaging in the same regimen: a strengthening exercise program with weight lifting for 12 weeks. Researchers evaluated the participants' strength before and after the program and found that the amount of strength gain in both groups was similar, despite their age difference. So it's never too late, or too early, to work on protecting your muscle mass.” Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic, Apr 2012

Body weight exercises, free weights and machines all give you the benefits of strength training when used correctly ,varied and gradually increased in intensity over time.