Strength Training - the key weapon against aging

The fact is that many symptoms of old age are really symptoms of inactivity – we don’t use our muscles enough! Muscle weakness, bone loss, and sluggish metabolism are changes that accompany aging but are not exclusively caused by it.

More and more fitness experts are recommending strength training for health reasons, for women as well as men. Strength training is extremely important in combating the age-related declines in muscle mass, bone density and metabolism. It is an effective way to increase muscle strength and to shed unwanted inches. By increasing your strength and flexibility, you can turn your wishful thinking into a reality!

Since I am over 50, (over 60, actually!) I know the fine distinctions present in mature bodies! Over the past 30 years, I have participated in lots of exercise programs - yoga, speed walking, jogging, squash, step-classes, spinning, aerobics and more. There’s a real value to all of them, but there’s no doubt in my mind that for the 50+ age group, a combination of three strength training sessions and two cardio workouts each week will produce excellent results.

I started working out almost 20 years ago, when I joined a gym and found myself participating in an aerobics class. In due course I was working out five times a week and realized I had become a fitness enthusiast! I decided to become a Certified Personal Trainer, after many 50+ women asked me how they could attain a toned and ‘sculpted’ body.

Attention, Baby Boomers!

The number of baby boomers is growing in leaps and bounds, and more than any other demographic, this population realizes the importance of staying healthy. As baby boomers age, regular strength training is the key to improving joint flexibility, reducing the risk and postponing the development of arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease or diabetes.

In terms of weight loss, sadly, low calorie diets alone don’t work – they merely punish the soul and cause metabolism to plummet. That’s not what you want - you want to raise your metabolism. For baby boomers this is particularly important, as strength training raises your metabolism and helps you to avoid the metabolic sluggishness that often plagues people who are over 50.

Here are four good reasons for Baby Boomers to start strength training:

• Improve weight maintenance. Strength training is crucial to weight control. People who have more muscle mass have a higher metabolic rate. When you’re asleep, fat burns at a rate of five calories an hour and muscle burns around 50. This is an excellent reason to increase lean muscle mass.

• Increase muscle mass / endurance. More lean muscle mass means everyday tasks are easier, endurance is greater, and there’s more energy at the end of the day.

• Control hypertension / cholesterol levels. Studies have indicated that, together with cardio exercising, strength training contributes to controlling hypertension and cholesterol levels.

• Create a ‘toned’ body. Regular strength training, in tandem with cardio exercising and a reduced fat diet, will result in a ‘toned’ look, particularly in the upper body.

You do NOT need to use expensive equipment to strengthen muscles. You can use free weights, resistance bands and tubing … or everyday household items such as food cans.

Myths and Misconceptions about Fitness’

When I first started working out 18 years ago, what I knew about exercise could have been written on the back of a postage stamp. Of all my fitness misconceptions, my favourite is still #6 on this list, “Exercise will turn fat into muscle.” I was so convinced this was true ……

There are lots more, but here are my Top eight Myths about Fitness and Exercise.

# 1: ‘No Pain, no Gain’

An often heard comment that has done more harm than good. Physical pain is a signal to change or stop a dangerous activity. Always avoid serious discomfort when exercising.

# 2. If I don’t sweat during exercise, I’m not getting any benefit.

Sweating is important, because it’s a way of cooling off muscles that heat up during exercise, but it’s not necessarily an indicator of how hard you are working. Some people sweat buckets while others don’t sweat much at all, regardless of their fitness level or degree of exertion.

# 3. Sit-ups can burn fat off my waist and tummy.

NOT A CHANCE! There’s no such thing as spot reducing or burning fat off a particular body part. Fat comes off through a combination of aerobic activity and proper nutrition. You can buy every tummy tucker or blubber blaster advertised on the Shopping Channel, but all they will do is to strengthen the muscle underneath. They don’t zap off that midsection fat – but underneath you probably have dynamite ‘six-pack’!

# 4. Exercise in the morning works better than exercise at night.

They say that if your exercise in the morning, you jump-start your metabolism and therefore burn more calories during the day. There’s absolutely no evidence that this is true. The best time to exercise is the time you want to do it, and are most likely to do it, whether it’s morning, afternoon or evening!

# 5. You can’t build muscle after age 50.

Great news for the baby-boomers! That myth was shattered 17 years ago when a study was conducted in a nursing home where 10 frail residents ages 90-96 lifted weights for eight weeks. Their strength gain averaged 174%. Other studies have shown similar results. Not only is muscle gain possible in older adults, it is very beneficial. Strength training helps increase bone mass and reduce the risk of falling.

# 6. Exercise turns fat into muscle.

It only appears that way. Fat is fat, and muscle is muscle – one type of tissue can never turn into the other. Instead of weak, flabby muscles covered in squishy fat, with exercise we have strong, supple muscles covered with a thinner layer of fat.

# 7. Exercise machines are more effective than free weights.

In a word, no. The effectiveness of each type of exercise depends on how well you use the machine or your free weights. Some people simply prefer one over the other - take your choice. Both build lean body mass and increase endurance.

# 8. Exercise burns lots of calories.

People have the mistaken idea that exercise is a fabulous way to lose weight. But exercising doesn’t burn lots of calories. Walking or running a mile burns 100 calories – sitting still for the same time burns around 50-60 calories. Not too much difference is there? However, the more you exercise, the fitter you’ll get, and in time, you will be able to walk or run for five miles instead of one. So … you’ll burn 500 calories instead of 100, which is 250 more than sitting on the couch!

The truth about exercise is that, in today’s world where information is the name of the game, it’s easy to lose track of the simplicity of movement. Exercise does NOT have to be complicated.

If you pick an activity that gets you slightly out of breath, and you do this daily or on most days, and ignore all the hype, you will all have a great shot at good health and physical fitness.

Strength Training is not complicated.

It involves working your muscles, for a short time, on a regular basis, and it should be a little more than they are accustomed to working. Why should you do this? Because this causes your muscles to become stronger and more toned. Not only that, your tendons, ligaments and bones will become stronger. This strengthening will make your joints more stable and less prone to injury. Everyday tasks will become easier, such as picking up grocery bags or grandchildren, getting up from a low sofa or going up stairs.

We all want to maintain quality of life as we grow older. Is it important that we're able to perform our daily tasks, enjoy our recreational activities, and care for ourselves? We all want to stay fit, trim, strong and mobile for as long as possible. If we do happen to have some physical limitations, ideally we would want to halt or maybe even improve the condition. This doesn't have to be just wishful thinking. We don't have to accept frailty as we age!