Having Muscle is Important to Our Overall Health

Muscles aren’t just for bodybuilders. They’re for everyone. We are physiologically designed to have a fair amount of muscle mass built through regular exercise. Muscle mass that allows us to metabolize carbohydrates efficiently, recover from injury or illness, and maintain our strength, resilience and health into old age.

The importance of muscle mass, strength, and metabolic function in the performance of exercise, as well as the activities of daily living has never been questioned. However, the role our muscles play in whole-body protein metabolism is less recognized.  Click here to see the entire post...

If You Want Strong Bones You Must Have Strong Muscles

 

I've been in the health and fitness industry for over 20 year and I've seen many fads come and go.  When I started my personal training business back in the 1990s women had many misconceptions about weight lifting.  I cannot tell how many times I heard my female clients say "I don't want to lift weights because I don't want big muscles!"  Well, that concept is changing today as women are starting to realize the benefits of strength training to their overall health and well-being especially when it comes to preventing osteoporosis and low bone density.

Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease of the skeletal system characterized by gradual loss of bone mineral density that leads to fragile bones and an increased risk of fractures.  According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 10 million Americans probably have osteoporosis, and another 24 million have low bone density or a condition called osteopenia which places them at a high risk for developing the disease.

An interesting fact that most people don't know is that the conditions of their bones essentially parallels the condition of their muscles.  Thus, weak muscle are associated with weak bones and strong muscles are associated with strong bones.  Therefore, osteoporosis is a condition that can be greatly mitigated by strength training also known as weight lifting.

Strength training is the most effective way to build muscle size and strength.  As muscles become stronger in response to weight lifting, bones also improve in strength.  Research that has investigated this relationship show that strength training can help maintain or increase bone mineral density in both men and women over the age of 50.  More importantly, studies have shown significant increases in bone mineral density at the spine and the neck of the femur which is are common areas of fractures in older adults.

Results from a Tufts University study involving women ages 50 to 70 who engaged in a full year of strength training showed a 1 percent increase in bone mineral desnity in the lumbar spine and femoral neck, whereas those who did not train experienced a 2 percent decline.  Also, the women who strength trained experienced a 3 pound increase in muscle while those who did not lost 1 pound of muscle.

As you can see, there is convincing evidence that strength training can produce positive changes in bone mineral density that help provide some degree of protection from osteoporosis.  So, if you want  strong bones work on developing strong muscles.

Make Strength Training the Foundation of Your Fitness Program

It's the first of the year and I already see my gym flooded with people eager to get healthy and fit for the New Year.  Most of the new comers spend most of their time on the cardio equipment, then they spend a few minutes lifting weights, and then they go home.

While cardio is a very important component of your fitness program, it shouldn't be where you spend the majority of your time in the gym.  I recommend you build your fitness program around strength training, also known as weight lifting and here's why:

Strength Training builds and helps to maintain your muscle mass.  Muscle tissue is always active and thus burns calories even when you are at rest.  Thus, by building and maintaining your muscle mass you  increase your resting metabolism, which means you burn more calories even while you are sleeping.

Muscle is key to long-term weight loss and body fat reduction.  As a personal trainer I often hear statements like this "ever since I tuned 40 I can't seem to lose weight and I've developed these areas of fat that I can't get rid of either."  Muscle loss is the primary reason for this scenario.  Beginning as early as your 30s you start to naturally lose muscle mass, and this process accelerates with age if you don't do anything to stop or slow it down.  As I previously mentioned, muscle is that active part of your body that burns calories even when you are resting.  Thus, as you lose your muscle mass your metabolism decreases, and consequently your calorie burning capacity also decreases.  Additionally, body fat is the fuel of choice for your muscles while you are at rest, and also for low intensity activities such as casual walking, cleaning house, and yard work.

Strength training increases your bone strength and makes your joints stronger.  Regular strength training has been proven to decrease the risk of developing osteoporosis, and also to make the activities of daily life easier to perform.

Strength training helps reduce blood sugar, and thus, reduces the risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.  Strength training plays a particular role to in reducing blood sugar and improving insulin sensitivity because when you lift weights the main fuel used is that stored as muscle glucose. Building extra muscle also provides a larger storage area for glucose, so the combination of these two factors -- increased muscle and regular emptying of these muscle stores -- improves the body's glucose processing, a factor crucial in preventing and managing type 2 diabetes.

Hopefully you can see why I think strength training should be the foundation of your fitness program.  If you are new to weight lifting, I suggest you find a nationally certified fitness professional to help you develop a strength training program, and to teach you the proper form and lifting techniques.