Aerobic exercises are important for sustaining the health of your lungs and heart. But if you want to strengthen your muscles, you need to do strength training. It is important to have strong muscles because they are responsible for supporting your joints, especially from conditions like arthritis.
According to medical research, strength training exercises are effective for both men and women. It doesn’t even matter what age they are or if they are in less than perfect health because strength training exercises are safe to do.
By performing strength training exercises, you can lessen the symptoms of several different conditions and diseases. Some of them include heart disease, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, depression, osteoarthritis, back pain, and obesity.
If you perform strength training and basic aerobic exercises, it will have a positive effect on your overall emotional and mental wellbeing.
Relief of Your Arthritis Pain
Tufts University recently conducted a study on the effects of strength training. They examined men and women of advanced age who suffered from different levels of knee osteoarthritis, from moderate to severe. The results of the study revealed that strength training was able to reduce their pain by approximately 43%. It also boosted their muscle strength, decreased their disability, reduced the symptoms of the disease, and enhanced their physical performance.
As for relieving osteoarthritis pain, strength training was just as effective as medications. In some cases, it was more effective. Patients who have rheumatoid arthritis also found the same kind of benefits from strength training as well.
Lessen the Chances of Falling and Slipping
When people get older, they start to lose flexibility and balance. This causes them to fall and, in most cases, break some bones. If the person were to suffer a bone fracture, it could cause them to become disabled or possibly something even worse. However, if a person performs strength training exercises properly, they can increase their balance and flexibility as they get older. This will help prevent them from having a falling accident and suffering the symptoms of one.
Makes the Bones Stronger
Women who are post-menopausal may lose as much as 2% of their overall bone mass every year. According to a study from Tufts University, women who are between the ages of 50 and 70 can increase their bone density by strength training. It will also lower their chances of having a bone fracture too.
Weight Management
If you want to manage your weight and keep it under control, strength training can be a significant help. Once you build a lot of muscle mass, it will boost your metabolic rate. Don’t forget that muscle tissue is very active in absorbing calories. So, if you perform strength training exercises on a regular basis, your metabolic rate will increase by as much as 15%. This means you will lose more weight and control your overall weight in the long run.
Glucose Management
According to studies, strength training and other kinds of healthy lifestyle changes can help people control their diabetes when they are older.
Mental Health
Strength training exercises can significantly improve people’s mental wellbeing. People suffering from depression may be able to find just as much relief from strength training as they do with anti-depressant medications. Strength training will have a positive impact on their self-esteem and self-confidence. As a result, their total quality of life may improve.
Better Sleep
Regular exercise will help people sleep better. They will be able to have a deeper sleep, fall asleep faster, sleep for a longer time, and wake up fewer times during the night.
Strength training will give you the same sleep benefits as sleep medications. The only difference is that you won’t have to spend money or deal with any side effects.
Heart Health
Strength training can improve the health of your heart. Since strength training makes the body leaner, it reduces the risk of heart disease too.
Consult with a Physician
Most people are healthy enough to perform strength training exercises. But it is always a good idea to consult with your primary doctor to make sure. Based on your current health condition and the objective that you have for your health, they will recommend the best way to approach your strength training workouts.
According to NIAMS, a lot of exercises should be avoided if you have inflamed joints, swollen joints, or a certain kind of arthritis. The duration and type of strength training exercises that you do will depend on a variety of factors, such as the type of arthritis that you have, the amount of inflammation there is, the joints affected, the stability of these joints, whether you’ve had your joints replaced, and other factors.
Begin Gradually
Begin slowly and conservatively with your strength training regimen. During your first couple of sessions, you might want to have a physical therapist or physical trainer to help guide you on your form. You’ll want to focus on your body because the form is very important. You should not feel pain from your strength training workout either. Instead, you should feel better because that will mean you are properly doing the exercises.
