It’s true….about your bones, I mean, as we age; this can start as early as age 40. Doing exercises that involve ‘kind of heavy things’ will likely improve your quality of life.
Here are some of the basic reasons in a great article by Sara Fleming, an ISSA trainer, that explains why this is so. (http://bit.ly/1WAOrgo):
#1 – Right now, you probably don’t have enough muscle mass. It’s not about getting big muscles, it’s about overall health and avoiding injury and getting weaker with age.
#2 – Strength builds better posture and stability. Without this strength, you slouch. and your back hurts, your neck hurts. If you sit at a desk all day you don’t have enough postural strength.
#3 – Being stronger improves your quality of life. Strength training can turn your life around; some of the changes are improved confidence (“I actually DID that!”)
#4 – Muscle mass improves all kinds of health conditions; reverse or reduce the severity of chronic health conditions like heart disease and type II diabetes. It will also improve your balance….and that’s REALLY important.
#5 – Even endurance athletes need strength training to perform and to avoid injury, including chronic pain and joint damage that can keep you from being down for a while.
We lose bone density with age and can gain some of it back with strength training. This especially applies to women, who can lose bone density more rapidly than men.
As an endurance athlete (triathlon) I’m the first to try and fit in strength training every day, even at work where I’ve devised some really weird exercises (desk pushups, a backpack with some weights) and, so far, nobody has mentioned that I might be mentally unstable. Doing old school exercises keeps my running, swimming, biking at peak performance and helps to prevent injuries. Find a trainer, take an exercise class, devise your own exercises, the possibilities are endless.
So take the hint: start doing strength training and watch how you step along. You will improve your outlook as well as your overall health!