Stronger.
Most, if not all of us have heard about the benefits of exercise. Exercise is good for your heart and helps prevent chronic health problems. It helps elevate your mood and makes you feel better. But we are not all aware that the type of exercise we engage in on a regular basis matters.
“7 out of 10 Americans focus on cardio and are missing an important element of their fitness program — strength training.”
If you do Zumba, walk, jog or bike on a regular basis, these are perfect activities for cardio. But most Americans are missing an important element of their fitness program, which is strength training.
Below are five reasons to incorporate strength training into your routine:
Manage weight. If you’re trying to lose or maintain weight, strength training can help. While cardio exercises get your heart pumping and burn calories to support weight loss, strength training will promote lean muscle. Lean muscles burn more calories than fat so strength exercises that build muscle can help you burn more calories over time.
Reduce the risk of chronic health problems. Strength training is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Also, strength exercises that focus on core muscles support back health and good posture, which prevents back pain. Strength training can also help reduce the risk of depression as well as improve mood and overall well-being.
Remain independent as you get older. As we get older, the rule of muscle mass is “use it or lose it!” Strength training builds muscles and helps prevent the loss of lean muscle. Strong muscles make it easier to keep doing your normal daily activities, like bending, household chores, carrying groceries, walking up stairs, etc. Strength training can also help prevent falls and injuries. Just like muscle mass may decline with age, so does bone density. Strength training activities keep bones strong and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Combat a sedentary lifestyle. Research shows how risky long periods of sitting can be. A study found that breaking up sitting may help lower blood glucose and insulin levels for adults who are overweight or obese, reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Better sleep. People who are active on a regular basis often report better quality and quantity of sleep than those who are not active. Strength training can help improve your quality of sleep because strength training creates a molecule called adenosine, which tends to cause drowsiness. Additionally, exercise in general tends to help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, which can make it easier to fall—and stay—asleep.
“A study found that spending more time sitting was linked to higher risks of heart disease and cancer, especially for those who spent more time watching television. Those who watched TV for seven hours or more each day had a 60 percent higher risk of death from all causes, compared to people who watched less than one hour of TV each day.”
There are many options available for strength training at the gym or at home. Some examples include:
Weight machines
Hand weights or dumbbells
Group fitness classes
Elastic resistance bands
Also, you can do a full routine just by using your own body weight with no equipment at all!
Strength training doesn’t take long to be effective. In fact, a good strength training routine can be done in as little as about 15-20 minutes twice a week. As you add strength training exercises to your routine, you will quickly notice the improvements in your strength and endurance.
