As you get older, age-related muscle loss can threaten a healthy lifespan, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola, physician and New York Times best-selling author.
With strength training, you create a foundation to enhance your well-being, and resistance training helps you build muscle mass even after age 60. An increase in muscle mass can boost your metabolism and prevent joint damage.
What is Strength Training?
Strength training is an exercise that causes your muscles to resist an external force. It involves lifting weights like dumbbells and barbells or working with resistance machines. These exercises combat the frailty and weakness that result from muscle loss. Strength training exercises are safe for men and women, even those with a few health conditions. Heart diseases and arthritis are best combated by lifting weights a few times weekly.
Dr. Joseph Mercola on the Benefits of Strength Training
Regular strength training keeps your muscles strong and active. Dr. Mercola is here to share the benefits derived from exercising:
Mood Improvement
Strength training decreases stress levels and improves your mental health. Lifting weights results in the production of serotonin, which eliminates depression symptoms. A high-intensity workout boosts the production of norepinephrine in the brain and the adrenal glands. This chemical keeps you alert and improves your memory functionality, notes Dr. Joseph Mercola.
Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease
Exercising improves the strength and function of the heart muscles. Strength training programs build the flexibility and aerobic capacity of heart patients. They directly impact your heart’s function by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol and improving cardiorespiratory fitness. They also improve lipid profiles and overall fitness to reduce cardiovascular risk.
Cognitive Skill Improvement
Regular exercises increase the size of the hippocampus in the brain, which is part of the brain responsible for retaining verbal memory and facilitating learning. Strength training also increases cortical thickness and executive functions in adults.
Sleep Improvement
Resistance training improves sleep quality by reducing depression and anxiety-related issues. It improves blood flow during sleep by lowering blood pressure through nocturnal dipping. Stressed muscle tissue signals the brain to induce sleep to repair the damage. Exercising also increases the production of the hormone adenosine, which promotes sleep.
Improved Digestion
Physical activity improves gut health. During strength training, more oxygen enters your bloodstream and brain, and the core body temperature increases. These conditions create a favorable environment for the gut microbiome to function. The gut microbes bloom and convert to provide molecules that the body utilizes. Exercising also improves gut motility to the most optimal pace and avoids digestive issues, explains Dr. Mercola.
Improved Muscle and Bone Strength
Resistance training prevents the natural loss of skeletal muscle due to age advancement or sedentary behavior. By increasing muscle mass, strength training prevents joint damage and boosts your metabolism. Strong joints and bones protect you from disabilities caused by frequent falls. Weight-bearing activities also lower osteoporosis risk by strengthening your muscles and bones.
Starting Your Strength Training Journey
As you grow older, your body’s response to exercise gets blunted. Regular exercises allow you to regain your strength as you age. Here are helpful tips for your strength training journey:
Increased fractures and falls reduce muscle strength and cause low bone density. Make walking and lifting weights part of your routine to improve your strength.
Engage in balance exercises like yoga and tai chi to prevent falls.
Set realistic goals for your exercises. Everyone is unique, and you can set the frequency of strength training that appeals to you.
Final Thoughts
Strength training offers various physical and mental health benefits to individuals of all ages. You can start small and advance as your body gets used to it. Check out Dr. Mercola’s book, Growing Stronger, for more strength training insights.
