You are walking at least 5 times a week. You are losing weight, feeling younger, and are in the best shape of your adult life.
Yet, you’re not doing everything that you could be doing to improve your health. You need to add strength training to your routine.
Benefits Of Strength Training
You get several health benefits when you add strength training to your routine:
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It makes you burn more calories. Toned muscles use more calories than flabby ones. Walking can tone your legs, but strength training builds the muscle mass in the rest of your body.
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It develops better balance and coordination. A toned body naturally has better body mechanics. This helps improve posture and flexibility. For older adults, this can help lower the chances of falling.
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It assists with disease prevention. Studies have shown that strength training helps decrease the need for medicine in arthritis patients, increase bone density in postmenopausal women, and improve glucose control in diabetes patients.
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It makes you stronger and fitter. Strength training helps build bone health and muscle mass. A mix of isometric and isotonic exercises will tone your muscles and make them stronger.
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It improves your mood and boosts energy levels. That is because your body releases more endorphins than normal during a strength training session. This form of exercise works as an antidepressant and can help you sleep better.
How To Add Strength Training To Your Workout
You don't need to start hitting the gym for hours every day to enjoy the benefits of strength training. You can start by adding weights to one or two of your walks each week. Ankle and wrist weights help further condition the muscles and bones in your limbs.
Trade one of your walks each week for a strength training session. Many people have only a limited amount of time for exercise each week. Using one of your daily workout times for strength training will make your walks even more effective.
Mix up your workouts by adding high intensity interval training (HIIT) to your routine. Even doing this three times a week for 10 to 15 minutes can help. This kind of training involves short periods of high-intensity exercise with short periods of recovery. You can do this kind of workout using cardio training, strength training, or a combination of both. The bonus is that your body will keep burning calories for quite a while after a HIIT workout.
If you have a goal of losing weight, strength training is a must. Matrix Age Management can help you achieve your weight loss goals and help improve your appearance, confidence, and energy level. Give us a call today to get started.
