Strength Training: A Simple Way to Reduce the Risk of Chronic Diseases

 Print this tip     Email a friend     Read Comments (0)

By:  Collette R. Puleo, CFT

Muscles play a key role in energy metabolism (calorie expenditure, weight control, and weight loss).  However, loss of muscle can result in reduced bone density, reduced insulin sensitivity, and reduced aerobic capacity.  Strength training is the only way to stop muscles from wasting away (atrophy).  If muscle isn’t built with strength training, it will be lost.  After the age of 50, a person can lose about 10 percent per decade or about 1 percent per year.  Programs that increase muscle mass can increase functional independence and capacity in previously sedentary older adults and can decrease the older adult’s risk for incurring many age-associated chronic diseases.

Several scientific papers (Feigenbaum and Pollock 1997; Fiatarone et al. 1990; Fiatarone, O’Neil, and Ryan 1994; Frontera, Meredith, and O’Reilly 1988; Mazzeo et al. 1998; Westcott 1995) provide convincing information that has influenced current thought on optimal strength training programs for the older adult.

According to the Complete Book of Personal Training:
“Research (ACE 1998; ACSM 1995, 1997, 1998; Evans and Rosenberg 1991; Mazzeo et al. 1998; Pollock et al. 1998) suggests that the single most important step to not just retard but to reverse the aging process is strength training.” ¹

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
“Post-menopausal women can lose 1-2% of their bone mass annually. Results from a study conducted at Tufts University, which were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1994, showed that strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk for fractures among women aged 50-70.” ²

The rewards reaped from strength training are plentiful; leaner body, strong bones, improved posture, the ability to protect the joint from potential injury, especially during weight-bearing activities due to the fact that strong and resilient muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments and cartilage act as protection to the joints.

Utilizing a carefully thought out program that encompasses accurate guidelines in strength training can lead to a better quality of life and a new found independence.

Sources:

¹AFPA’s The Complete Book of Personal Training, Douglas S. Brooks (2004)
²Benefits of Strength Training: Strengthening Bones, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007)

Permalink: http://www.boomercoffeehouse.com/index.php/self_expression/article/95/