The Benefits of Strength Training for Aging Bodies

When you begin to get older, you don’t necessarily think about strength training, especially if it isn’t something you’ve already been doing for years. Instead, most people associate strength training as lifting weights with bulky younger adults who enter bench press competitions and weight lifting events.

Even people who were more active in their youth sometimes let exercise fall by the wayside as they age since they no longer feel it is necessary. However, there are multiple benefits for you to start your strength training now, and more especially as you get older.

You don’t even have to hit up a gym to practice strength training or work on building up your muscle. Most exercises you can do will help to build your muscle endurance, and for our aging bodies, it helps preserve more independence and improve your quality of life.

Here are some noted benefits you can expect when strength training for aging bodies.

Increase Muscle Mass

As you age, your muscle tissue tends to weaken, which can cause a problem with you being more frail and likely to take a fall since you’ll be weak on your feet. Exercising as you get older, or even when you are older, helps to build up that muscle mass around the tissues. It allows you to stand more firm and upright and feel stronger in your abilities to move without needing assistance.

Heart Health

Heart problems become much more exacerbated with old age. It happens because our hearts must work harder to pump blood throughout our bodies. Many older people suffer from decreased circulation from sitting for long periods. Strength training can help!

There are different styles and sizing of women's compression socks, which are shown to help improve your blood circulation. If you pair wearing compression socks with exercising together, you’re allowing the blood to flow more freely throughout your body and keeping your heart from having to work so hard.

Brain Power

Your brain is activated when you exercise, so strength training can benefit your mind and your body. In addition, active brains help to prevent the progression of mental diseases that can affect the elderly, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Reducing Blood Pressure

When your body ages, you have a higher risk of hypertension (half of Americans aged 60 and older have it!), which is more commonly known as high blood pressure. Obesity is a significant contributor to hypertension, and it can be dangerous because you might have it for years without knowing.

When you perform strength or resistance training, you are taking away the force on your arteries, which is a primary cause of high blood pressure. As a result, your blood pressure decreases.

Fat Loss

Aging bodies tend to accumulate more fat, even if you still eat healthily. Adding in strength training can help keep that pesky fat from increasing.

Strength training has the added benefit of increasing what’s known as “after-burn” when you exercise, which increases how many calories you’re burning, even after you are done working out. It’s effective in helping you to burn fat and promote increased metabolism. It’s also helpful after surgery or treatment to ensure that you are moving your body, since it can help speed up your recovery time.

Final Thoughts

One last benefit to strength training is that it releases endorphins, which help you feel good and put you in a happier mood, and who doesn’t want that? So put yourself in a good mood and add strength training to help take advantage of all these benefits for your aging body.

As always, you should discuss your exercise regime or intended strength training with your doctor before you begin. It can help you to understand your limits or get suggestions on where to start if you are a beginner at working out.

You need to ensure when taking on exercise that you stay safe and don’t risk any injury or pain. Don’t try to push yourself with more weight than you can handle; when you are lifting, you should always have proper supervision from a certified trainer or professional who can assist.

Strength training is crucial for anyone who wants to stay healthy, fit and promote longevity.