The question is, can weight training help you achieve these goals?
You want to be fit. You want to look and feel good. You want to live your best life.
The evidence is clear … weight training offers an abundance of health benefits that can transform your body from the inside out. Let’s take a quick look at some of weight training’s benefits.
Improved strength: When someone lifts weights, the stress will create micro tears in muscle tissue. This will stimulate muscle growth. Over time this muscle growth can result in significant health improvements and even a better appearance.
Better cardiovascular health: Strength training can also contribute to heart health by building lean muscle mass. This helps to burn extra calories even while you’re resting. Weight training also strengthens the heart and lungs. This can help increase aerobic capacity. So, you’ll have added energy for the things that really matter to you, like playing with the kids or grandkids and participating in favorite activities, like golf, pickleball, and walking. Plus, research indicates in can help reduce blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, and decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Improved bone health and strength: Though weaker bones and a decrease in bone density can be part of the aging process, weight training can help. Lift weights and you could increase bone growth and help battle osteoporosis.
Weight Loss: Not only does weight training burn calories, but it also increases the number of calories burned throughout the day, even when you’re at rest. This boost to metabolism makes weight training a double threat to extra pounds.
Better Sleep: Training with weights can help you sleep longer, deeper, and with less waking. One reason … the response of producing more growth hormone because of weight training assists in post-workout recovery and will also help you sleep more deeply.
Improved Mood: A sometimes underrated benefit of weight training is its beneficial effect on mental health. Strength training helps decrease levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Plus, it increases endorphins and dopamine, neurotransmitters that will elevate your mood and help you feel happy and content. Imagine an exercise that helps you feel better on the inside, while it makes you look better on the outside.
Fight Aging And Increase Longevity: As we age, we lose muscle mass and strength. But weight training helps people retain and grow muscle tissue. Weight training also strengthens bones, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures, a concern for both men and women as they age. And – women take note – weight training helps manage the symptoms of menopause (like hot flashes and bone density). It also helps women entering menopause by promoting the production of hormones like testosterone and growth hormone, thereby helping to regulate hormonal imbalances. And by challenging your muscles and nervous system, lifting those dumbbells, barbells, or kettlebells improves proprioception (your sense of where you are in space) and neuromuscular control, reducing the risk of injury from falls. And though weight training is best known for increasing strength and muscle growth, it improves cardiovascular health.
Better Joint Health: When done properly, weight training will improve joint health. Stronger muscles provide better support and stability to joints, reducing the risk of injury and relieving pressure. And this can help alleviate joint pain and improve mobility. The old saying that “Motion Is Lotion” is true with weight training … since it promotes better joint lubrication and flexibility. While lifting weights, synovial fluid, a natural lubricant in the joints, is circulated more effectively. And this helps reduce friction and inflammation.
For A More Fit, Healthier Body – Don’t Wait On Weights!
More strength … stronger bones … healthier joints … better body weight management … an elevated mood … and a sip from the fountain of youth! These are just some of the benefits you could get from weight training. So, spending time with a “dumbbell” might just be one of the smartest decisions you can make for your personal fitness program!