Hello,

For some time now, my wife, Samantha, and I have been in the process of adopting a child.  Finally, on last Wednesday, we became the proud parents of a baby boy.    

Now that he is here, the lengthy process seems to have flown by.  But isn't that true about life in general?  You turn around and all of a sudden another year has gone by.

This got me to thinking about this elderly woman I saw the other day.   She was struggling to lift her groceries from her cart to the trunk of her car.  I couldn't help but think... at what point did she go from being strong enough to lift her own groceries to needing assistance?
Many people believe this is an inevitable sign of aging. You know what I'm talking about--the fact that people as a result of aging become weaker; lose stamina, bone density, balance and flexibility. 

And you've probably heard these facts before--that on average after the age of 30 you lose 7 lbs. of muscle mass per decade of life--and that by the age of 75, 66% of women and 28% of men can't lift objects heavier than 10 pounds.

But what you might not know is that scientists are discovering much of the signs we consider "aging" are actually due to inactivity.

Digging deeper... one type of activity has the power to dramatically alter your ability to stay active as well as change the "results" listed above. 

Know what that activity is?  Strength Training.

Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to strength training:

• People who regularly lift weights not only maintain a very high level of strength throughout their lives, but those who start strength training in their middle-age years have even shown to become stronger than they ever were before!

• Strength training doesn't need to be your main focus.  Sprinkle in strength training exercises to your normal routine in order to build a framework to prevent muscle loss.

• Strength drills are for men and women--and should be done consistently throughout your whole life--no matter if you are in your 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's or older.

• Weight training increases bone mass too, which lowers the risk of developing osteoporosis and fractures.   It is important to note that as we age, science has shown weight training can actually increase bone density.

• According to a study in the International Journal of Medicine ...70-year olds who were experienced swimmers and runners who had lifted weights regularly for more than a decade had as much muscle as 28-year-olds.

• Don't just do strength training. Cross-training with aerobic exercise helps to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.  

So if you aren't regularly adding strength training to your workout, do it now.  It's never too soon to start.

Tune in next time for tips on types of strength training you should include as well as ideas on how to build the ideal workout for you.  Meanwhile, check out ideas on strengthening your abs here and also these suggestions for when your body seems to reject a new activity.

With Healthy Regards,

Mike Ryan PT, ATC, PES

 

 

 

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