As individuals, we want to live a long, healthy fulfilling life. The key to maintaining independence throughout life is strength training. It’s not about building muscle but creating a body that can support you for life. We delve into the power of strength training and the advantages.Â
Building a body for life
Your muscles are an important part of your body, they control your movements, support your joints, improve balance and provide the power needed for everyday life. With age, we naturally lose muscle mass. This can also lead to weakness, loss of balance and an increase in falls/injuries. Strength training builds muscle mass and strength and helps everyday activities become more accessible. Strength training involves more than just lifting weights.
Bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges, push–ups are great starting exercises to help strengthen your muscles. Yoga and Pilates are also great for strength training.
How strength training fuels everyday independence
Mobility is the ability to move freely or easily. Strong muscles are essential for simple daily tasks, like sitting down or getting in and out of a car. Limited mobility can cause issues, including an increased risk of falls, decreased independence, pain, and negative impacts on mental health. By strengthening key muscles, you can enhance mobility and make everyday activities easier, enhancing independence.
Invest in your future self
Strength training can help you live your best life. Daily independence means you can perform daily exercises with little hindrance. Muscle strength and mobility help boost your confidence allowing you to complete daily tasks with ease. This also helps our emotional and mental wellbeing. Independence allows us to stay connected to our communities, engage in activities and live a full life.Â
Strength training – It’s about more than just muscles
Strength training doesn’t just benefit your muscles! There are a multitude of pros, including:Â
Maintaining a healthy weight: By increasing muscle mass through strength training, you can also increase your metabolism, making it easier to manage weight. This is due to muscle tissue burning more calories at rest compared to fat tissue.Â
Enhance your quality of life: Being stronger allows you to enjoy doing the things you love, like gardening, walking, travelling and much more.Â
Manage chronic conditions: Strength training can help manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. It helps improve joint function, blood sugar control and increase cardiovascular health. Before starting new exercises, consult a medical professional if you have any chronic conditions. Â
Sharpen your thinking skills: Exercise increases blood flow to the brain which can help with cognitive function. Strength training benefits not only the body, but the mind as well.Â
It’s never too late to start
It doesn’t matter what age you are or your fitness level, you can start strength training at any point. Begin slowly and build up your strength, gradually increase the number of repetitions and sets. Start with light weights and gradually increase the weight as you get stronger. Remember to incorporate bodyweight exercises as well. You can increase the intensity and number of workouts as you begin to feel stronger.Â
Strength training is about building a body that can sustain you for a long period of time. It’s a key investment in your future self, laying the foundations for long-term independence.Â