We all talk about the benefits of working out to look good, feel better, strengthen our muscles, keep our hearts healthy, etc, but not many people talk about the importance of resistance training for bone density maintenance. I have to wonder…is this because they don’t know???
One of the first things I tell new clients over the age of 30, is how weight/resistance training (not cardio) contributes to overall health in more ways than just the obvious. At the age of about 21 for girls, and 25 for guys, we all naturally begin to lose muscle. In fact, we can lose up to 5% per year if we are not working out. What does this mean? Well, since 1 lb of muscle burns 50-100 calories at rest, then what it means is a seriously slow metabolism and an atrophied body with really bad posture by the time you’re in your 50’s…if you are lucky to last that long even. We need to maintain a certain amount of muscle to avoid “shrinking,” “hunching over,” and having hip replacements and the like.
When we loose our muscle, aside from the fact of losing the ability to burn fat, we run the risk of loosing bone density. Our bodies literally begin to deteriorate. Therefore, we must build a certain amount of new muscle tissue each year just to counteract what we are losing naturally. If we don’t, then after our muscle has withered away, the deterioration will then move into the next level…our bones!!! Resistance training has been proven to contribute to the building and strengthening of new bone density in people with and without Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is real and it tends to be more active in females, but females also have a lot less muscle then men just genetically. In my opinion, both genders are equally at risk in different ways, and both need to nurture their bodies against the deteriorating effects of aging.
I like to call excercise the Fountain of Youth, because it really is one of the only ways we can keep ourselves young. We will all get older, and age, but why not do what we can along the way to age gracefully, peacefully, and joyfully. I welcome any of your questions and/or comments here for me on the blog. Here’s To Your Health!!!
