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The benefits are greater than you may think.
When most older adults think of exercise, they probably think of aerobic-type
activities.Walking, swimming, playing golf, dancing. But strength training has
been shown to have tremendous benefit for seniors. Put aside your image of
muscle-bound men and women and picture instead a senior able to climb stairs,
lift grocery bags, and carry a grandchild. Those are just some of the benefits of
strength training.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), research shows that exercise
can slow the aging process. And, more specifically, that strength training has
benefits different from aerobic exercise.While aerobic exercise has many excellent
health benefits, it says, “it does not make your muscles strong. Strength training
does. Studies have shown that lifting weights two or three times a week increases
strength by building muscle mass and bone density.”
The CDC reports “one study conducted on postmenopausal women at Tufts
University demonstrated 1 percent gains in hip and spine bone density, 75 percent
increases in strength and 13 percent increases in dynamic balance with just two
days per week of progressive strength training.” Unfortunately for those women in
the control group, they had losses in bone, strength, and balance.
Strength training can also bring improvements in the following conditions:
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arthritis |
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diabetes |
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osteoporosis |
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obesity |
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back pain |
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depression |
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