It’s true what they say, if we don’t use it, we lose it. Where most think about our cognitive functions here, this concept also applies to our body’s ability to move well into our senior years. Strength training is in fact a fundamental part of ageing well, and we’re going to share 5 reasons why.
Prevent Muscle Loss
Many of the common struggles as we grow older are caused by the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, more technically known as sarcopenia.
For most of us, muscle mass and strength increase from birth and hit their peak around age 30-35. Studies have shown that there is a natural decline in power and performance after this, and then an increased decline after 65-70 years of age.
What’s particularly interesting is this decline can be slowed somewhat by maintaining an active lifestyle and incorporating strength training.
Even more interesting is that it’s never too late to start. Another study found that progressive resistance training at sufficient loads can induce dramatic and substantial increases in muscle strength, size and function in men and women up to 96 years of age!
Help Tackle Obesity
A year long exercise training intervention known as the Lifestyle Intervention to Improve Bone Quality (LIMB-Q) found that a healthier diet combined with a workout mixing aerobic exercise, resistance training and balance was most effective for helping reverse frailty in obese older adults.
What this means is that diet alone was not enough to help these older adults; they made the most progress when combining dietary modifications with training.
Support Bone Health
One particular study showed that volunteers who wore a weighted vest as they participated in a weight loss plan slowed down hip bone-density loss when compared to the weight-loss-plan-only group. The researchers concluded that finding different ways to load and challenge the skeleton could reduce the risk of hip fractures, a common and often debilitating injury for older adults.
Prevent Disease
A 2016 analysis of 26 breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer studies found a 37% reduction in cancer-specific mortality when comparing the most active patients with the least active.
Increase Lifespan
A 2020 study found that adults who engage in aerobic and muscle strengthening activities show a greatly reduced risk of all cause and cause specific mortality.
Top Tips For Strength Training:
- Find something you enjoy,
- Make it part of your daily routine,
- Move mindfully.
How well we age is influenced by a range of factors, including genetics, diet, lifestyle and more but we can’t deny the benefits of strength training and so if you would like to incorporate strength training into your routine but are unsure where to start, get in touch with us for a free fitness assessment.
