Strength training is an important part of overall fitness. It helps you maintain bone density, lose weight, and improve your blood pressure. However, many people mistakenly believe that strength training is only for young people or athletes—not true! Anyone can benefit from resistance training as we age. In fact, it’s essential for maintaining good health and preventing injury as we age. This article will explain why strength training will help you stay fit as you get older.
Muscular strength is important for reducing the risk of falls and fractures
When you’re older, it’s important to maintain your muscular strength. Strength training helps prevent falls and fractures, which can be very serious for older people.
Muscles are made up of fibers that contract and relax when they receive a signal from the brain. When a muscle contracts, it tightens and pulls on bones (or other body parts), like when you pick up a heavy bag or swing a golf club. Muscular strength is important for stabilizing joints during movement, as well as preventing falls and fractures in later life.
Muscular strength also plays an important role in preventing osteoporosis (a condition characterized by weak bones), since strong muscles help maintain bone health through their pull on bones during movement.
Resistance training improves balance, coordination, and posture
When you’re strong and fit, your body is better able to maintain balance, coordination, and posture. In addition to improving strength and endurance in the major muscle groups (legs, hips/thighs, back), resistance training strengthens bones. When you add resistance training to your regular fitness routine (which should also include aerobic exercise), you can help maintain a healthy weight while lowering the risk of osteoporosis as well as falls due to loss of balance.
As we age it’s important that we continue exercising every day for an hour or more each day for optimum health benefits; however, if you don’t have time for that much exercise then a full body workout using free weights or weight machines will suffice just fine. Just remember not to overdo it!
Muscular strength helps to minimize osteoporosis
- It is well-known that maintaining a healthy weight helps to minimize osteoporosis, but did you know that muscular strength is also an important factor?
- Muscular strength helps your bones because it increases the load on them. This results in the development of new bone and the strengthening of existing bone tissue, which reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
- It’s best to start exercising when you are young so that your muscles are strong enough for these extra demands later in life. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends doing weight training two or three times per week with eight to twelve repetitions per set, at least three sets per exercise session; ideally this should be done two days after aerobic activity. You can combine weights training with cardiovascular workouts by alternating between them every other day (for example: Monday – weights Tuesday – cardio Wednesday – rest Thursday – cardio Friday – weights Saturday – cardio Sunday).
Being physically fit lowers the risk of developing chronic illnesses
When it comes to staying fit, the benefits of being physically fit are endless. Not only will you have more energy and feel better, but you’ll also be less likely to develop chronic illnesses.
- Heart Disease: Being physically fit lowers your risk of heart disease by up to 50%.
- Osteoporosis: Strong bones are essential for a healthy life as we age. Physical activity helps build strong bones through weight-bearing exercises that increase bone density and strength over time.
- Diabetes: Active individuals tend to have lower blood sugar levels than their inactive peers because they tend not to store excess fat around internal organs such as the liver or pancreas that produce insulin; this results in improved regulation of blood sugar levels and reduced risk for Type 2 diabetes (a common form of diabetes).
Strength training helps prevent heart disease
The benefits of strength training for the heart are many. It can help you maintain a healthy weight and control blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, it’s important to talk with your doctor before starting any exercise program because some activities may not be safe for people who have hypertension. But strength training is often recommended as part of the treatment plan for people with high blood pressure.
Exercise can also reduce the risk of developing diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC estimates that even small amounts of exercise—such as walking 30 minutes each day—can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 50 percent!
In addition, research has shown that exercising regularly reduces inflammation in our bodies and speeds up healing after an injury or illness. This may explain why studies show older adults who maintain good cardiorespiratory fitness live longer than those who don’t exercise regularly.”
Strength training helps you maintain independence and function as you age
As you age, it’s important to maintain a healthy level of strength and fitness. Strength training can help you do this.
Strength training helps:
- Maintain independence and function as you age
- Avoid falls, fractures, and other injuries that may result in immobility or long periods of hospitalization
- Maintain a healthy weight and avoid obesity
- Maintain a healthy heart by improving circulation
- Improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)
- Improve brain function in older adults who are at risk for cognitive impairment (such as Alzheimer’s)
Resistance training is important for maintaining good health and preventing injury as we age
- Strength training is important for maintaining good health and preventing injury as we age.
- As we age, our muscles tend to lose their tone, making us more susceptible to osteoporosis and heart disease. Strength training helps to prevent these diseases by strengthening the muscle tissue in our legs, back and other areas of the body that are commonly affected by aging.
- Regular strength training helps you stay independent as you age by helping you remain strong enough to do things like get out of bed or climb stairs on your own without assistance from others.
In summary, resistance training is a great way to improve your strength and overall health. It can help with many aspects of aging, including maintaining good balance and posture, reducing the risk of falls or fractures due to low muscular strength, improving overall function and independence in daily life activities such as walking or climbing stairs. It also helps prevent osteoporosis by increasing bone density while decreasing body fat stores at the same time!