Every day the evidence continues to mount, proper exercise is the proverbial fountain of youth and new studies are continually being released that reinforce exercise as the number one youth elixir. It seems science and medicine is proving that one thing is for certain; being active obstructs the aging process and allows us to preserve our youthfulness longer.
The type of exercise that has the most impact on the aging process is proper strength training exercise. Without question, no other activity has more of an impact on overall health, vitality and well-being and no other activity can compare to the myriad of health benefits derived from a dedicated strength training program.
Strength training works deep down at cellular level as when the muscular system is given the “work” that it has been designed for it stimulates production and release of “growth and repair” hormones that combat the aging process.
If you do not enough of these hormones in your body, your skin is likely to wrinkle and sag, your strength and energy levels will be low, you will have less disease protection and you will be more prone to weight gain, especially around your waistline.
When we are young these “youth” hormones are produced in large quantities by the pituitary gland, but after age 30 the levels diminish throughout our adult years. Research indicates that this drop in these special chemical messengers is responsible for many of the signs and symptoms that we used to believe were the aging process and there was nothing we could do about it.
When you work the muscles directly with some effort put into it there is a release of hormones to increase strength and this also uses up excess body fat by raising the metabolism which is the body’s engine. The very good thing about this fact is that you will continue to burn fat every single minute of the day and night, something you will never ever get from long duration low intensity activity.
With our modern world being so sedentary many people suffer from lack of muscle exertion which leads to fat burning hormones not being stimulated. When our muscles are challenged with the right activity it sends signals to the brain that strength is needed. Growth and repair and fat burning hormones are activated giving the metabolism a boost so it burns more fuel (calories) every minute of the day and night.
To generate a burst of these “youth hormones” you would have to do more than a few bicep curls however. An example of a typical workout that would do the trick would be a series of 6-8 different exercises targeting large muscle groups a couple of times each week. Exercises like squats, dead-lifts and ones that work the big back and leg muscles work best as opposed to working small muscle groups like biceps and calves.
Although this sounds daunting it is not really. For one thing you get to rest for a minute or so between each set of exercises. So you are really only doing a small burst of “work” at one time. Be assured no one expects that a beginner would work out with a high level of intensity to begin with, it is something you have to practice and you build up to it.
Given the evidence that regular strength training exercise will help you keep your muscle and bone strength, maintain a healthy body weight and minimize the chances of you needing a Zimmer frame somewhere down the track. There is so much to gain for such a small outlay of time and effort.
Study after study shows that you can begin reversing the aging process no matter how old you are, or how inactive you may have been. A study of people who had reached the age of 100 with no significant health problems, showed that nearly every one of them reported engaging in regular physical activity.
Because disease and signs of the aging process creep up slowly, we often take our health for granted, paying little attention to the consequences of negative lifestyle habits.
Even if you have never exercised before, it is not too late to begin reaping the benefits that the simple addition of a strengthening exercise program 2-3 times each week has to offer.
Good health does not just happen; it is something that must be maintained and this requires a commitment to healthy eating, physical fitness and other health-promoting behaviors.
To make it easy for you to begin, I have created a “Fitness For You” package of 6 eBooks. One of them is called “Strong Forever” and will tell you everything you need to know to get started and enjoy the anti-aging benefits of this REAL exercise. You can see them when you click this link:
You can train yourself for success or you can train yourself for failure, so, be your own coach and get yourself going.
For more tools and resources from Carolyn Hansen to assist you in attaining your goals and achieving the success you desire in life, please visit:
This is great. Now I know that my walking means I’m on track. All I need to do now is add some resistance exercises.