More Benefits Of Weight Training Show It Isn't Just For Athletes

This week's informative newsletter was suggested by one of my long standing wellness clients, Connie Waite. After my information on osteoporosis, she thought this topic might be interesting to some of my older subscribers. She belongs to the Mayo Clinic Health Letter and showed me an article to read about even more benefits of weight training for the older population.

The first thing that caught my eye was this. Studies have shown that only about 30 percent of the difference between young and old adults is related to aging. That means that the remaining 70 percent is due to other factors, mainly a lack of physical activity. What this suggests is that doesn't have to be the case.

As we get older things seem to get harder to do. Mowing the lawn is tough, let me hire the neighborhood kid. Playing with the grandkids is hard work, I'm going to have to tell them no. Lifting that box off the ground and putting it on the shelf will be a struggle, I'll wait until my kid comes over. You don't have to be relegated to this individual.

Older adults experience a remarkable increase in strength gain when starting an exercise program. It might take a little longer to get to that strength, but you can get there. I had an 85 year old client who was able to show me her bicep muscle after a few months of training. I have another client who owns a shop and has to lift bulky, heavy items all the time because she doesn't trust the somewhat feeble staff half her age to do it.

Once you get that strength, maintaining it is easy with a consistent weight program. Here are some of the benefits the Mayo newsletter stated:

• Improve bone health - I discussed this in an earlier newsletter.
• Promote weight control and reduce body fat - This can be done irregardless of age.
• Reduce your risk of injury - It helps strengthen the joints to stabilize them better. Also, weight training helps keep your fast twitch fibers sharp which helps your reaction time. This is why older people stumble a lot is because their reaction time is shot.
• Alleviate back and arthritis pain - Strengthening the muscles in these areas really helps to alleviate pain in the joints.
• Helps control diabetes - Keeps the sugar level in check.
• Helps with your cognition - The exercise helps improve the blood flow throughout your body and to your brain. Keeping your wits is nice when your older.

You know I'm a big believer in strength training the right way. It's not all about getting big muscles. It is about staying healthy. Weight training isn't just for my athletes, it is for everyone including YOU. A lot of you have heard these same benefits come out of my mouth through the years. If the Mayo Clinic is saying the same exact things then you know I'm not blowing smoke up your a$$. Start conservatively, but just get started and reap the benefits of strength training.