| Are you looking to be strong and fit for life, strong | | | | and diseases such as sarcopenia (muscle loss) and |
| enough to take off for the slopes at a moment's | | | | osteoporosis bone loss) as we age. |
| notice, continue playing a sport, or spend holidays | | | | 6. Improve Glucose Metabolism. |
| tramping in out of the way locations around the | | | | Strength training increases the use of blood sugars |
| world? The simple answer to achieve any of these | | | | into the muscles, helping reduce the chance of |
| levels of fitness is two words: Strength Training. | | | | developing diabetes. Researchers have reported a 23 |
| When it comes to building and maintaining strength, | | | | percent increase in glucose uptake after four months |
| no other form of exercise offers a better bang for | | | | of strength training. |
| your buck and here's what it can do for you: | | | | 7. Reduce Resting Blood Pressure |
| 1. Avoid Muscle Tissue Loss | | | | Strength training alone has been shown to reduce |
| Through inactivity adults lose between 2.2 kg and 3.2 | | | | resting blood pressure significantly reducing risk of |
| kg of lean muscle tissue every decade. Only strength | | | | heart disease. If our muscles are stronger, less stress |
| training exercise will stop this happening throughout | | | | is placed on our cardiovascular (heart/lung) system |
| our lives. Although endurance exercise such as | | | | while performing day to day activities. |
| running, swimming etc improves our cardiovascular | | | | 8. Improve Joint Strength and Stability |
| fitness, it does not prevent the loss of muscle tissue. | | | | Increasing the strength of muscles, also greatly |
| 2. Avoid Metabolic Rate Reduction | | | | enhances the strength and stability of the our joints. |
| Because muscle tissue is a very active tissue, muscle | | | | This decreases the stress put on them in day to day |
| loss is accompanied by a reduction in our resting | | | | activities reducing degeneration of our joints. Arthritis |
| metabolism (the rate the body burns fuel) by 2 to 5 | | | | is prevented or symptoms reduced with stronger |
| percent every decade. Strength training prevents | | | | muscles. |
| muscle tissue loss preventing the accompanying | | | | 9. Improve Vitality and Quality of Life |
| decrease in resting metabolic rate. | | | | The condition of our muscles is responsible for our |
| 3. Increase Metabolic Rate | | | | energy, vigor and our ability to perform everyday |
| Research reveals that simply adding 1.4kg of muscle | | | | activities with ease. Muscles are like an engine of a |
| tissue increases our resting metabolism by 7% and | | | | car, if they are well looked after, you can drive it |
| our daily calorie requirements by 15% reducing the | | | | regularly without fear of it breaking down and |
| likelihood of body fat accumulation. | | | | strength training is the means to keep them in top |
| 4. Reduce Body Fat | | | | condition. |
| Muscle tissue is metabolically active, meaning it burns | | | | 10. Improve Sporting Performance |
| calories. The more of it we have the more calories | | | | All forms of power, speed, coordination and |
| we burn while we are sleeping, working, and through | | | | explosiveness come from having a good base of |
| exercise. For example, think of your metabolism like a | | | | strength. Strength training is an effective means of |
| car, the more muscle you have, the larger your | | | | increasing our physical capacity, improving our athletic |
| engine and the more calories (fuel) you burn. If we | | | | performance, reducing our injury risk and increasing |
| neglect strength training, our metabolism might be | | | | our enjoyment of our chosen sport. |
| closer to that of a scooter instead of a grunty V8! | | | | So as you can see strength training should be |
| 5. Increase Bone Mineral Density | | | | performed by everyone. Men, women, children and |
| Not only does strength training exercise stimulate | | | | older people can all benefit from strength training. It |
| muscle growth; it also stimulates the growth of bone | | | | prevents our body from deteriorating enabling us to |
| tissue. Bone mineral density peaks at age 20 then | | | | live longer and enjoy more of life as we age. |
| gradually declines for the rest of our lives. This | | | | Strength training really is anti-aging and can match our |
| makes us very susceptible to fractures, "shrinking" | | | | health span with our life span. |