Scientific research has shown that physical activity can slow the physiological consequences of aging. While aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging, or swimming, has many excellent health benefits (maintains the heart and lungs and increases cardiovascular fitness and endurance), it does not make your muscles strong. Strength or resistance training does.
Studies have shown that lifting weights or using resistance training two or three times a week increases strength by building muscle mass and bone density. Functional strength training builds core strength, balance, and coordination for general fitness and improves the ability to perform everyday activities.
In mid-life, adults begin to lose muscle mass as they age. Indeed, if you don’t use it, you lose it! Individuals who have more muscle mass have a higher metabolic rate and more mitochondria (energy factories for the cells) in their muscles. Muscle is active tissue that consumes and burns calories, while stored fat uses very little energy. Strength training can provide up to a 15% increase in metabolic rate, which is enormously helpful for weight loss and long-term weight control.
Strength training in the elderly has been shown to increase muscle and bone mass, muscle strength, flexibility, balance, self-confidence and self-esteem. Strength training also helps reduce the symptoms of various chronic diseases, such as arthritis, depression, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, sleep disorders and heart disease, and when combined with balance training, can reduce falls.
New guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine suggest strength training two or three times a week. Be sure to give your muscles at least one day of rest between workouts. Two sessions per week is suggested, because that number gives you the training benefits and is quite manageable from a time perspective. For core strengthening, start your weight or resistance workouts with abdominal exercises.
To strengthen abs daily, every time you think about it, sit up or stand up straight and contract the abdominal muscles. Eventually this will become a habit. For your overall workout program, consider alternating aerobic exercise with walking, jogging, or dancing with strength training. Always consult your physician before starting any exercise program, of course.
Web sites, videos and books for weight and resistance training are abundant. To start, check out these:
- www.bellaonline.com,
- www.pilates.com
- www.workoutsforyou.com
- www.workoutsforwomen.com
- http://weboflife.nasa.gov/exerciseandaging/toc.html
- Strength training for Seniors by Wayne Westcott
- Functional Fitness for Old Adults by Patricia Brill
- Functional Fitness by Larkin Barnett
- The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler
- Essentials for Strength Training and Conditioning by Thomas Baechle, Roger Earle, and the National Strength and Conditioning Association
- “Weight Lifting for Absolute Beginners” by Jonni and Jessi Good, a great downloadable strength program available at: http://www.weight-lifting-exercise.com/?hop=fatburn.
It is always a good idea to get a hands-on demonstration of exercises from a fitness instructor before beginning. Once you have the know-how, you may want to set up a home gym for the sake of convenience. The following lists provided ideas for exercising at home with varying levels of limited funds:
No budget
- Use soup cans as weights for upper-body training.
- Work out with television exercise classes.
- Borrow exercise videos and fitness magazines from the library.
- Do the exercises that do not require equipment: stretches, jumping jacks, squats, lunges, triceps dips, abduction and adduction lifts, heel raises, back extension, abdominal crunches, push-ups and push-offs. And remember, stair climbing is free!
Low budget
- Purchase a set of resistance bands for strength training.
- Rent videotapes from the video store.
- Purchase a step for cardiovascular workouts.
- Buy a jump rope.
- Get a mat for abdominal work and stretches.
Medium budget
- Purchase a set of free weights.
- Buy an assortment of exercise videotapes.
- Get a mat.
- Buy one piece of top-quality cardio equipment ( such as a Treadmill, stationary bicycle, stair-climber, ski machine, rower or cross trainer). Be sure to purchase equipment that is sturdy, has safety features (especially if you have small children), and is something you enjoy using.
In summary, reasons to include resistance strength training in a workout routine are abundant:
- To build muscle strength. Adults lose between five and seven pounds of muscle every decade after age 20. Only strength training prevents muscle loss.
- To improve functional strength and flexibility. This is important because it can help keep you safe in your daily activities and make you less vulnerable to falls or other injuries.
- To increase bone mass and density. Weight-bearing and resistance exercises can help protect against osteoporosis, a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break.
- To lower body fat– especially abdominal fat!
- To reduce resting blood pressure.
- To reduce low back pain.
- To reduce the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
- To reduce symptoms of other chronic diseases. Strength training can help to reduce the symptoms of depression, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and sleep disorders.
- To enhance your personal appearance. Improving strength and your physique can also be a plus for your self-confidence and self-esteem.
- To improve your golf game. Believe it or not, strength training can improve golf performance by increasing club head speed and driving power. It can also help enhance other physical activities such as tennis and cycling.
As a helpful resource, I have lots of articles on healthy ingredients and recipes that you can implement into your daily life.
If you’d like to dig deeper into my journey of discovering God’s plan for health and wellness, check out my book, Made For Paradise: God’s Original Plan for Healthy Eating, Physical Activity, and Rest.
