Weight Training
Updated: Apr 28
A fitness routine must include resistance training. This is the fitness component most people, both men and women, find hardest to accept. While walking, eating well, and doing flexibility and mobility work – the other three components of reaching good fitness – are great, they are not enough to achieve ideal fitness. For resistance work, we can use our own bodyweight or weights at the gym. With the classic pushup, we resist the force of gravity that would otherwise cause us to drop to the ground. With the bench press, we use our arms to push the barbell or dumbbell away from us and resist the force of gravity that would other cause the weight to drop on the chest. Resistance training will help everyone. Unfortunately, once we hit our mid 20s, we start losing bone and muscle strength. In particular, we start having issues with sarcopenia. “Sarcopenia” is one of my favorite words. It simply means muscle loss. But strength training helps us reverse bone and muscle loss. With strength training, we burn some calories during the time while doing pushups or working with weights. But more significantly, with increased muscle mass we burn more calories during the rest of the day. The “basal metabolic rate” increases. We hear the word “metabolism” a lot. The actual term refers to the process the body goes through to use the calories from food and produce energy. Then the body uses this energy to carry out daily functions. Your “basal metabolic rate” is the rate at which the body takes in calories and uses the calories for energy.
There are lots of other advantages of resistance training. Balance, coordination, flexibility, and posture generally will improve. We are also less likely to have accidental falls, if our bones and muscles are stronger. Also our bones, connective tissue, muscles, and tendons become stronger as we weight train, and the risk of osteoporosis goes down. Regular cardiovascular activity can lessen the risk of diabetes and keep the heart healthier. But more good news about strength training: studies are also showing that weight training can decrease the risk of diabetes, help blood sugar levels, and strengthen the heart. Strength training also increases mental strength, as well as endorphin levels. Put simply, endorphins are hormones in the brain that can decrease pain sensation and increase positive emotions. So we feel better emotionally when we do weight training, and ultimately feel more confident about how our bodies look.
Finally, new research is showing that weight training can prevent cognitive decline. More on this in another post!
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