As a society we have invested millions of dollars in finding a "cure" for aging, believing that a vitamin, cream or power drink will restore youth and stop Father Time. At the end of the day, we know there's no million-dollar pill, but with a little work in the form of resistive training, we can certainly stall the aging process and make getting older more about a number than a decrease in function.
Weight lifting is one of the most common resistive training exercises and its effects on health and general fitness are numerous. Bill Carle, a personal trainer, is approaching 50 and has been lifting weights since his early 20s. He says, "For me 50 is just that, the number 50. Thanks to years of weight lifting and a healthy diet, I am strong, flexible and have avoided many of the diseases that strike other men my age. I have been able to maintain a level of fitness few men in their 20s can claim."
Bill stresses it is never too late to start lifting weights and improving your fitness level.
Weight training is becoming an activity of choice for many people, male and female, old and young, athletes and non-athletes alike. An improved physical appearance resulting from pumping a little iron keeps many people in the gym, but scientists, doctors and trainers agree that the benefits of this once he-man activity can keep us all healthier longer.
The four main reasons touted by many researchers for making weight lifting part of a fitness routine are: maintaining muscle mass, bone density, disease prevention and functional capacity.
1. Maintain or Gain Muscle Mass
This is probably the most obvious and easily understood benefit. Due to lower levels of hormones and minerals made by the body as you age, you gradually lose muscle. If you're not performing some kind of resistive strength training, you lose a half-pound of muscle every year past age 25, according to the American Council on Exercise. Without exercise, muscle mass declines an average of 22 percent for women and 23 percent for men between the ages of 30 and 70.
On the same note, we don't lose body fat; it's simply redistributed. Not a very fair trade, but if you participate in a weight lifting program, you can reverse this scenario. By gradually increasing the amount of weight you lift, you are actually activating muscle fibers and increasing their size adding to overall muscle mass. Since more calories are burned to maintain muscle tissue than to maintain fat tissue, you are increasing your metabolism. Each pound of muscle mass raises your metabolic rate by approximately 50 calories a day depending on your weight, thus by gaining muscle you are burning more calories even during inactivity. Which combined with a healthy diet will lead to a leaner, stronger body.
2. Bone Density
Activities that apply weight to the bones, such as weight lifting, have been linked to maintaining bone density, which keeps them strong so that they can fulfill their role as support for tissue and organs. New research indicates strength training cannot only help woman and men prevent Osteoporosis, it may also be able to aid in the cure of this prevalent and crippling disease. Weight training has been credited with slowing mineral loss in bones. Loss of mineral content from the bones is one of the major reasons for decreases in bone density, resulting in porous bones that are so weak they fracture easily.
3. Disease Prevention
Not only does strength training help prevent Osteoporosis; it has been linked to the prevention of cancer and other diseases thought to be synonymous with aging. Studies show that lifting that barbell can reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer, blood pressure, cholesterol, low back pain and certain kinds of arthritis.
Dr. Paul McCartney, BS, DC, says, "Weight bearing exercises performed properly are one of the keys to maintaining a healthy joints because joints depend on motion to stay healthy and mobile, which is essential to overall health and fitness."
4. Functional Capacity
It stands to reason that if we are going to live longer, we should aim to be as functional as possible. Weight training promotes better posture, tendon and ligament strength, improves bone density, increases muscle mass, keeps joints strong and flexible and improves balance, which allows us to perform our activities of daily living with more ease and safety.
By improving balance, you prevent falls that lead to fractures. By promoting better posture, you feel better, look better and most importantly, reduce the pressure on the spine, as is the case with poor posture. By remaining flexible and strong, you can care for your children; perform household activities as well as recreational activities with increased physical ease and without the fear of accidents or injuries.
Lastly, when you start to feel the invigorating effects of weight lifting and see the results staring back at you in the mirror, you can wink at Father Time. There may not be a fountain of youth hidden in an exotic jungle, but the key to impeding the aging process is as close as the floor of your local gym, or in the corner of your closet where some weights are waiting to help you turn back time.
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