Strength training and exercise are vital to keeping our bodies in the best shape possible. Incorporating a healthy diet can work wonders for your body’s processes and help reduce the risk of illnesses and diseases. As we age, our bodies change drastically, and it often requires more work to keep them in the desired state. One particular way you can accomplish this is through resistance training.

Don’t let the term deter you from trying this type of exercise. You may find out it’s the best kind of workout for you!

What exactly is resistance training?

Exercising comes in different forms, but one in particular that focuses on muscle strength and endurance is resistance training. You will likely use heavy weights and bands as you exercise or anything that will resist your movements. You strengthen your muscles as you work against gravity or a kind of force.

There are certain kinds of results you can strive for with resistance training, such as muscle size, power, strength, and endurance.

If you’re unsure what kind of workouts you should be doing for this type of training, you can speak with a personal trainer at a gym or consult with your doctor to ensure you are doing workouts appropriately for your body.

What are the benefits of resistance training?

Most people exercise with a specific goal in mind, whether to gain muscle, stay in their current shape, or lose weight. Whichever your plan may be, doing any exercise helps improve your body in some way.

With resistance training especially, you boost your metabolism and, in turn, help reduce body fat. Not only can you increase your muscle size as well, but you also increase your bone density. As we age, osteoporosis is a serious disease that can make life difficult for many men and women.

If you’ve received your Medicare bone density screening or your doctor suggests you get a bone density screening, you may consider diving into resistance training to help prevent bone diseases like osteoporosis. If you’re interested in learning more about other Medicare screenings that can be covered 100%, there are plenty of Medicare articles available!

Another benefit is not exactly a physical difference, but nonetheless, very important, and that is your mental health. Being active dramatically improves your mental health in various ways. It can help reduce stress and release hormones such as dopamine, which is the feel-good chemical in our body.

Lastly, building endurance keeps your muscles healthy and improves functionality which in turn keeps your joints healthy. Arthritis is a common condition among those 65 and older. If you are developing arthritis or already have it, you may consider adding resistance training exercises into your daily routine.

Is resistance training right for you?

There are dozens of exercises you can do as you get older; they all have different benefits. Yoga and Pilates help build your core, improve balance, and tone your muscles. Cardio increases your stamina and can reduce body fat. But if you want to gain muscle and keep your muscles healthy, you should consider resistance training.

This is not an exercise style that needs to be done daily, but consistently focusing on building muscle a few times a week can give you the results you are striving for.

Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it

You’re not alone if you struggle to incorporate working out into your daily or weekly routine. It takes time to build a habit and have it become part of your lifestyle. However, you can start small. You don’t need to dive headfirst into something you’ve never done before. See if there are workout classes near you or buy some weights so you can do a few exercises at home if you prefer to do it alone. Once you mix resistance training into your schedule, it will become a new normal!