Pull your weight to keep fit. 7 reasons why you should lift weights.

With technology robbing us all of activity, it is important to note that it is also robbing us of valuable strength. Our population is getting weaker because we don’t lift or carry as much as they used to. Our joints are a prime example. As you become fat your joints start to hurt and so you don’t feel like doing any activity, so you become fatter. This is very much a reflection of the aging processes where a considerable loss of muscle tissue (including the organs such as the heart), bone mineral density, strength, function, vitality, posture, stabilility, and a general decline in health. Tuffs University in the USA, which specializes in anti-aging, listed the two most important reasons for ageing and degeneration – Loss of muscle and loss of strength.
The only training that will stop the degeneration of the body and can rebuild lost muscle and bone is Strength training.

1 Increase your metabolism.
The average adult has a reduction of their metabolic rate of 25 - 5% per decade of life. By adding 1.4kg of muscle our metabolism increases by 7%. Adults who take up strength training use more calories all day and decrease the likelihood of fat accumulation.

2 Reduce body fat.
Because muscle is denser than body fat, it takes up less space. One of the biggest myths is that women will ‘bulk up’ by lifting weights. When women lose fat and gain muscle they become much trimmer.

3 Increase bone mineral density.
Strength training can increase bone density. By not progressing to heavier weights as we get stronger is one of the most common reasons why there are an increasingly amount of folk in hospital from pelvis fractures. Because muscle attaches to the bone, the more resistance the muscle is under, the more increase in bone mineral content.

4 Reduce lower back pain.
Research has shown that strong lower back muscles are less likely to be injured than if you had weaker back muscles. Specific strength training exercises to the lumbar spine can decrease lower back pain in as little as 10 weeks.

5 Avoid muscle loss
After the age of 20 the average adult can lose up to 3.2kg of muscle every decade. Running or walking does not prevent the loss of muscle tissue. Only strength training will increase our muscle mass as we grow older.

6 Improve glucose control in type 2 diabetes
Adults with type 2 Diabetes have poor uptake of glucose. By lifting weights glucose metabolism can increase by 23%

7 Reduce Joint pain
Even studies with rheumatoid arthritis have shown reduction in pain. By becoming stronger individuals can reduce inflammation and help joints align and function better.