Staying active and exercising is beneficial no matter what age a person is. It ensures that they will be healthy and have energy to get through their day. As you get older, staying active remains a crucial part of being healthy, and it’s also important to include strength training in your exercise regiment.
Impacts of Aging
Unfortunately, no one can stop the aging process. It’s part of life. However, you have the opportunity to overcome some of the natural processes that occur with aging by adding strength training to your routine. Some of these are listed below.
Increase Muscle Strength
As you age, you will naturally lose muscle mass. This can lead to weakness, which can make you more susceptible to falling and breaking bones. To counteract this process, adding weight lifting into your exercise routine will ensure that your muscles stay strong and don’t deteriorate as quickly.
Increase Skeletal Strength
Another side effect of aging is your bones become more brittle and lose density. They may also be more susceptible to developing one of the many forms of arthritis. This could lead to joint pain and deformation. Having weakened bones means that they can be broken more easily.
When it comes to strength training and your bones, if pressure or weight is added to your body, your skeleton will react by creating new bone so that it can compensate and be able to handle the added pressure. This means that you will have stronger bones and reduce the chance of developing arthritis or fractures.
Increase in Energy
It may seem counterintuitive that exerting energy will actually give you more energy, but it does. Adding strength training is a great way to boost your metabolism. In addition, exercise releases chemicals in the brain that will help you feel alert and happy.
You probably already know that exercise is good for your health, but adding strength training can add even more benefits. If you’re thinking about starting a new exercise or diet program, talk to Sloan Natural Health Center to ensure you have the right information and right tools to be successful.