• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Reuel Payne - Weight Training

Making Good Health Your Priority

  • HOME
  • About

The Benefits of Strength Training for Older Adults

January 4, 2021 by Reuel Payne

The benefits of strength training for older adults are many. Exercise in general is widely regarded by many medical professionals as being beneficial for curbing heart and respiratory disease as well as delivering overall well-being and good health.

Strength training is key to maintaining health and it helps you stay independent as you age.

Beginning about age 30, men and women lose muscle mass at about the rate of 10 percent per decade until about 50, when that loss accelerates to 15 percent per decade, according to researc

It is often speculated that fewer people over 50, however, entertain the idea of lifting weights on a regular basis.

 
When lifting weights, what you’re doing is providing a method of resistance to targeted muscle groups and doing that regularly provides many benefits to many people of all ages.

Knowing how to start exercising can be a challenge but an exercise regime of physical activity that incorporates strength workouts is feasible.



Strength Training Helps with Weight Management 


Many of us put on a bit of excess weight as we age and most of us don’t want it because it’s nearly always all fat. Our needs for caloric intake diminish as we get older. 


For many women, hormonal changes following menopause also contribute to body compositional changes as well. 

Additionally, the metabolic rate slows down as we age partly due to the reduction of lean muscle mass. A slower metabolic rate means you burn calories less efficiently and any excess is converted to fat.

The more lean muscle mass you have the more calories are burned off.

Strength training, or resistance training, is a great way to increase the body’s energy requirements. It also lessens body fat mass and improves the metabolically active muscle tissue in older people.



Strength Training Helps with Our Bone Health


The serious loss of bone tissue is medically termed osteoporosis and it affects middle-aged women the most. 

Peak bone mass is at age 30. Normally after 50, 1-3% is lost per year. After 60 it rises to 3%, although for women it is often more.

The body is unable to keep up with the production of bone tissue cells and calcium and other vitamins so the bones become fragile.

The first symptoms are nearly always a fracture after some seemingly innocuous activity.

Did you know that bones are living tissue that need exercise to gain strength, just like the muscles?

Strength workouts help the integrity of not only your muscles, but also bones, maintaining them and encouraging new tissue cell growth.

A strength training program that activates all the moving parts can help the body in motion promoting good coordination and balance improving posture.



Mental Benefits from Strength Training


There is enough evidence to show that working out with weights on a regular basis improves mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

Resistance training may also reduce or even prevent cognitive decline in midlife and beyond. The research, published in NeuroImage: Clinical, found that six months of strength training led to cognitive improvements in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and significantly slowed neurodegeneration linked with Alzheimer’s disease.

Less fatigue, more stamina, and increased confidence through higher self-esteem were all symptoms that the medical trials revealed.

One specific study compared pain relief from strength training over cardiovascular activity and the strength training won.



How to Start

Before commencing any strength training program, it is advisable to get clearance from your doctor.

It’s important to assess whether there are any muscular problems or bone issues that need to be worked with before starting a new regimen.

After that, finding a qualified trainer is a next advisable step. In my article, ‘Traits of a Good Personal Trainer‘, I list traits and qualities to look for when hiring a coach.




More Benefits of Strength Training


So apart from losing excess weight, becoming stronger, preventing many falls, and strengthening bones, strength training can also help us sleep better, look more toned, feel more confident, and enter our later years able, independent, and healthy.

More and more benefits of strength training are being discovered. While all forms of exercise can add value to your health, strength training definitely packs a ton of amazing benefits.

From improved strength and flexibility to better bone health and controlled body fat, strength training will make you look and feel better.
Some of this content was originally published here.

More from my site

  • Six Signs Of Protein DeficiencySix Signs Of Protein Deficiency
  • Staying Injury FreeStaying Injury Free
  • How Weight Training Changes Your BrainHow Weight Training Changes Your Brain
  • Fight Covid-19 With Dietary SupplementsFight Covid-19 With Dietary Supplements
  • The Value of ExperienceThe Value of Experience
  • Motivate YourselfMotivate Yourself

Filed Under: Health, Strength Training

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • The Benefits of Strength Training for Older Adults
  • Juice Cleanses And Detoxes: A Waste Of Time And Money
  • Change Your Life With Strength Training
  • More Benefits Of Strength Training
  • How Your Favorite Celebs Stay Healthy and Fit

Recent Comments

  • mramino on Focus On Your Health, Not The Scale!
  • Tasha on Focus On Your Health, Not The Scale!
  • mramino on The Value of Experience
  • Tasha on The Value of Experience
  • Why Weight Training and NOT Cardio? - on What Exercises Should I Do When I Join a Gym?

Archives

  • January 2021
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • March 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • December 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017

Categories

  • Dietary Supplementation
  • Drugs
  • Health
  • Healthy Lifestyle
  • Muscularity
  • Pathogens
  • Strength Training
  • Trending
  • Weight Training

Recent Posts

  • The Benefits of Strength Training for Older Adults
  • Juice Cleanses And Detoxes: A Waste Of Time And Money
  • Change Your Life With Strength Training
  • More Benefits Of Strength Training
  • How Your Favorite Celebs Stay Healthy and Fit

Recent Comments

  • mramino on Focus On Your Health, Not The Scale!
  • Tasha on Focus On Your Health, Not The Scale!
  • mramino on The Value of Experience
  • Tasha on The Value of Experience
  • Why Weight Training and NOT Cardio? - on What Exercises Should I Do When I Join a Gym?

Archives

  • January 2021
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • March 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • December 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017

Categories

  • Dietary Supplementation
  • Drugs
  • Health
  • Healthy Lifestyle
  • Muscularity
  • Pathogens
  • Strength Training
  • Trending
  • Weight Training
Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to beginning any diet or exercise program or taking any dietary supplement. The content on my website is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or to replace a relationship with a qualified healthcare professional. copyright © 2021 reuelpayne.com