Essential to staying strong and vital during our lifetime is participation in regular strengthening exercises that help prevent muscle weakening, osteoporosis and frailty by stimulating the growth of muscle and bone.

Strengthening exercises are easy to learn and have been proven safe and effective for both men and women of all ages through years of scientific research.

The added bonus:

Feeling physically fit and strong promotes our mental and emotional health.

The benefits of strength training include:

Improved body composition –

This is the ratio of your body fat to learn body mass. A person that is actively strength training will show slower changes on the scale but faster changes in body composition because they are increasing their lean body mass by decreasing their body fat.

A Healthy Metabolic Boost –

Your basal metabolic rate refers to the number of calories you burn while at rest. It makes up about 60-75 percent of your body’s total energy expenditure. The more toned muscle you have, the more calories you burn, all day long.

Improved Bone Density –

Strength training is key to increasing bone density which in turn decreases your risk of osteoporosis – a particular issue for women but men are also at risk. For those already experiencing the symptoms of osteoporosis, weight training can actually lessen its impact.

Boost In Confidence –

Feeling the strength of your muscles as you walk around during the day is a very empowering feeling! Studies prove there are definite mental and emotional benefits as a result of strength training and from the process of mastering physical challenges. The process and outcome is beneficial to both men and women.

Although cardio exercises have their place, cardio without sufficient strength training causes muscle tissue loss which in turn lowers our metabolism (the bodies engine) allowing fat to accumulate.  Its strength training that’s empowered to shape our bodies into the slim firm bodies we all dream about. The more muscle we have, the higher our metabolic rate and more body fat is burned for fuel.

Strength training work-outs should be of short duration but high intensity (focused and working hard). It does not take two hours at the gym – if that’s your time frame now, you need to kick it up your intensity a notch or two and get it done quicker.

If you’re looking to get rid of excess fat on your body, strength training is key. Cardio is great for keeping overall boy fitness, but its not a good fit for losing weight, building muscle mass or increasing bone density.

It’s strength training that builds strong active muscles that gobble up fat from all over your body and leave behind the shapely, firm, lean body of your dreams.

And, if we are working at the same intensity level day after day it won’t get the job done either.

Muscles must be continually challenged to respond. Lifting the same weight and staying at the same level of performance results in staying at the same level. Period. Why put all your precious time into doing something that won’t improve your condition?

Muscles are smart and if challenged to their limits they realize that they need to rebuild themselves even stronger, so when faced with a similar challenge they will be able to perform at a higher capacity. Understanding this simple concept is the key to understanding how and why strength training works.

The truth is, “that which does not challenge you will not change you” or “do the same thing and get the same result.”

It’s not complicated. Begin your strength training program today and continue to resistance/challenge your muscles.

It is now recommended that all people over age 30 begin some form of strength training to increase bone density and stave off obesity, arthritis, osteoporosis and various cancers as well as a host of other medical issues caused by low bone density and lack of exercise. It is the most important exercise component of your anti-aging lifestyle because it ensures your continued strength, health, energy, independence and longevity.

Check out my quick and easy

Project Me Finally Fit program

At just 10 minutes in length, if you cannot find a way to squeeze this kind of effective workout into your schedule every other day, it’s likely there’s not another one in all existence that could take it’s place.

After all, most things can only be made so simple before they just cannot be made to work at all!

– Carolyn “The 10-Minute Sandbag Workout” Hansen

P.S. I even created a FREE mobile app for you to keep track of your sandbag workouts. With 4 built-in workouts of 7 distinct sandbag movements, you have 28 different exercises to choose from should you decide to create your own custom sandbag works