#FridayFitness: Resistance Training Is the Fountain of Youth

#FridayFitness: Resistance Training Is the Fountain of Youth


(Image: iStock.com/nensuria)

Did you know that the aging process begins soon after 30? That age is sooner then most of us believe. The process involves a slow but steady loss of muscle mass over time. This muscle mass is slowly turning to fat, which by itself is not the issue. Pound for pound fat weighs less than muscle, so if that were the only problem, we would be flabby, but certainly not overweight.

The problem with losing muscle mass is that the process also slows our metabolism. It takes a lot less energy to maintain fat, so our metabolism slows down as our muscle mass diminishes. This in turn leads to weight gain and begins a slow but steady cycle of putting on the pounds.

Of course, your eating and activity habits have not changed, so the slower metabolism mixed with the lack of true physical activity further exacerbates the problem. Before you know it, your cool size eight figure is now pushing into a size 18.

So, what is a slick chick like you supposed to do about this untimely turn of events? If you have lost muscle mass, how can you regain it?

The logical answer is to do activities that build muscle. This means the older we get, the more important lifting weights and doing other types of resistance training becomes. You have to lift, crunch, squat, punch, push, and pull. So yes, we are talking about hitting the gym or putting in a video and doing the damn thing!

Besides improving metabolism, resistance training also provides the following benefits:

  • Improves heart and lung function
  • Increases muscle strength and endurance
  • Strengthens skeletal function to ward off osteoporosis
  • Boosts well-being

And for all you ladies out there who believe lifting weights will make you look like a female hulk, understand that our female hormones overwhelm male hormones, which makes it very difficult for us to bulk up. Using three to eight-pound weights will do your body a world of good.

Resistance training works best when muscles are worked to exhaustion. That burn or fatigue you feel when you can barely do the last set is your muscles tearing. The following day of rest allows them to repair, which is how they get stronger and toned. That tearing also means you should not exercise the same muscles to exertion every day, to minimize muscle and tendon pulls.

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Black Health Matters (BHM) is the leading patient and consumer-focused health information website for African Americans.  BHM connects health information seekers to the highest quality health content on the Web, shared via social media and disseminated at BHM community-based health events.  Committed to making African American families healthier, BHM imparts expert advice on disease management while promoting healthier lifestyles. The result is a compelling  health content experience that resonates within the cultural context of the user’s life.


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