We all know that exercise is “healthy” for us, strength training included. But let me show you why Strength Training is the ultimate Fountain of Youth and why you should be doing it! Don’t fear it!
These are top 12 Health Reasons to Strength Train:
- Makes you stronger
Gaining strength allows you to perform daily tasks much easier, such as carrying heavy groceries or running around with your kids
- Burns calories efficiently
Strength training helps boost your metabolism, allowing you to eat more while trying to lose weight. When your body is at rest – your muscle fibers are busy rebuilding from the last strength training session so they can lift heavier the next time. This building and rebuilding process requires additional energy as your muscles are constantly at work – especially on rest days!
- Decreases abdominal fat
Fat stored around the abdomen, especially visceral fat, is associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer
- Can help you appear leaner
As you build more muscle and lose fat, you will appear leaner.
This is because muscle is more dense than fat, meaning it takes up less space on your body pound for pound. Therefore, you may lose inches off of your waist even if you don’t see a change in the number on the scale.
- Lowers your risk of injury
Strength training lowers your risk of falls and physical injuries, as you’re better able to support your body when problems occur. It helps improve the strength, range of motion, and mobility of your muscles, ligaments, and tendons. This can reinforce strength around major joints like your knees, hips, and ankles to provide additional protection against injury.
Because of this, strength training can increase your quality of life, especially as you age. There is a significant correlation between resistance training and better mental health, physical functioning, pain management, general health, and vitality.
- Makes your bones stronger
And to follow that last point – strength training is so important for bone development.
Weight-bearing exercises put temporary stress on your bones, sending a message to bone-building cells to take action and rebuild bones stronger. Having strong bones reduces your risk of osteoporosis, fractures, and falls, especially as you age
Fortunately, you can reap the bone-strengthening benefits of strength training at any age.
- Improves heart health
Internally, regular strength-training exercise can decrease blood pressure, lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol, and improve blood circulation by strengthening the heart and blood vessels
Strength training also can help you maintain a healthy body weight and manage your blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels are a major risk factor for heart disease
- Helps manage your blood sugar levels
Strength training may lower your risk of developing diabetes and can help those with the condition manage it better.
Skeletal muscle helps increase insulin sensitivity. It also reduces blood sugar levels by removing glucose from the blood and sending it to muscle cells. As a result, greater muscle mass can help improve blood sugar management. – This is a big factor as to why you are able to eat more when consistently strength training.
- Promotes greater mobility and flexibility
There is an old way of thinking that lifting weights will restrict your range of motion due to muscles bulge-dge. But that’s honestly near impossible to do without taking something, such as steroids, and abusing them.
Contrary to this thinking, strength training actually increases joint range of motion (ROM), allowing for greater mobility and flexibility. Plus, those with weaker muscles tend to have lower ROM and flexibility. But this must mean that you’re training in full ROM to gain more ROM 🙂
- Cognitive health
Those who engage in strength training may have better brain health and protection against age-related cognitive decline.
Multiple studies in older adults have pointed to significant improvements in cognitive function (e.g., processing speed, memory, and executive function) after participating in strength training, compared with those who did not participate in it (Long-term Cognitive gains from resistance exercise, NHMRC Study).
It’s thought that resistance training has many neuroprotective effects, such as improved blood flow, reduced inflammation, and an increased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is linked to memory and learning (Exercise promotes the expression of BDNF, NIH).
- Boost Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem
Strength training can add a major boost to your self-confidence. When you start seeing the progress for yourself in the mirror – hold on tight, you’ll be in it to win it!
When training at sufficient intensity levels, strength training can help you overcome challenges, work toward a goal, and appreciate your body’s strength. In particular, it can increase your self-efficacy — the belief that you’re able to succeed at or perform a task — which can greatly improve your confidence
And if you share this passion with your family, kids ages 11-16 yrs. old have observed a significant association between strength training and high self-esteem, physical strength, and physical self-worth. If your teen is having self-confidence issues – get them into the gym stat! Strength Training does not judge based on age, it benefits all bodies.
- Improve Mental Health
Strength training also boosts your mood and improves your mental health. Multiple benefits include:
- Better mood regulation, such as increased self-esteem and self-efficacy improvements.
- Release of mood-boosting endorphins that help you finish in a more positive mood.
- Gives you a “place” to go and tune out the world while you tune into yourself – this can very much be a meditative and therapeutic practice with inward focus.
If you are busy, run down, carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, depressed and feeling hopeless in your search for self happiness – I invite you to take a chance and create the time to put your worries aside and take that breather that you so desperately need. You will feel better and BE better than you were when you walked in.
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As you can see, THIS is why I preach that Strength Training is absolutely the Fountain of Youth. Short on time? No problem! Cut down to just strength training workouts (30-45 min, 3-5 days a week) and you’ll still make more progress than if you were to have dropped to Bootcamp classes or HIIT Training only.
STOP chasing weight loss. Focus on building strength and the aesthetics will follow. (as long as you’re consistent on your macros )
If you feel like you’re ready for a change in your life, something that will last a lifetime and set you down the path for success, fill out my Client Intake form to see if we would be a good match for each other.
Or head over to my in-person and video Small Personal Group Trainings for hands on learning.
I would love nothing more than to help you find success and a healthier, happier YOU.
Libby
