02/14/2019
Strength Training
Strength training is an important part of any fitness program. It helps you reduce body fat, increase lean muscle mass and burn calories! The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults should add moderate to high-intensity muscle-strengthening activities two or more days a week in addition to a daily aerobic regimen. Unfortunately, a 2013 study of 450,000 adults by the Center for Diesease Control found that while 52 percent of surveyed adults met the aerobic activity guidelines and 29 percent met the strength-training guidelines, less that 21 percent of adults in the United States meet the total combined guidelines! Incorporating those two days of strength training add a host of benefits!- Stronger Bones. Strength training is known to increase bone mass. A recent study from Ontario's McMaster University found that a year-long strength training program increased the spinal bone mass of postmenopausal women by nine percent. Additionally, weight-bearing activities put stress on your bones which builds bone density.
- Sharper Memory. Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that for robust brain health, it is best to incorporate both aerobic and strength training. Each type of activity targets different aspects of cognition by initiating the release of different proteins. In an earlier study the same researchers found that older women who strength-trained twice a week for six months had better memory, better attention spans and improved executive brain functions compared to those engaged in a strictly cardio fitness regimen.
- Weight Control. According to the Center for Disease Control, strength training offers an increase of up to 15% in the metabolic rate, an important aid for weight control. Researchers from Southern Illinois University found that participants burned 100 extra calories a day for three days after a fifteen minute resistance routine. And don't forget: each pound of muscle burns 7 to 10 calories compared to 2 or 3 calories for a pound of fat.
- Improve Balance and Posture. For a study published in Age, people over the age of 90 participated inof strength training two days a week 12 weeks. The study found an increase in walking speed, an improvement in balance, and a significant reduction in the incidence of falls.
- Disease Prevention. Strength training can be an important aid against arthritis pain, reduces the risk of bone fractures can help improve glucose control for sufferers of type 2 diabetes.
- Mood Elevator. A 2005 study published in The Harvard Mental Health Letter compared exercise with antidepressant drugs or a combination of the exercise and antidepressant drugs in patients suffering from major depression. They found that after 16 weeks, 60 to 70 percent of participants in all three groups had recovered from the depression, but the positive effects of exercise last longer. After ten months participants who worked out had lower rates of depression than those who took only medication.
