Aging: Is it Inevitable?
How old is “old” to you? What if I asked you 10 years ago? Chances are, as you have aged, your definition of what is “old” has changed as well.
Why is that? Because no one likes to think of themselves as old, but the fact is we are all aging every day. Granted the aging process is slower when you are 30 than when you are 50 or 70, but it is happening.
And what is happening? Our bodies naturally lose muscle mass and bone mass, this loss is accelerated in those who are not active. In other words, the processes we associate with aging are NOT inevitable. We cannot stop time, but we can have an impact on how time takes it toll on us.
What do we do to slow down the aging process?
Not just any activity will do. You can run all you’d like but that running is not challenging the bones in your arms. In fact, it may even be detrimental to your bone mass. Your activity tracker can help you get 10000 steps but your muscles will barely register the stimulus. Treadmills, Group Fitness Classes, Spinning; none of them provide the anti-aging stimulus which your body needs to maintain your muscle and bone mass and slow down the aging process. In fact, overdoing cardio has been shown to increase the oxidative stress that is believed to be one of the main causes of muscle and bone mass loss.
Oh, it seems hopeless! But wait, what activity is left that provides the stimulus your body needs to stay young?
Resistance Training.
You must subject your muscles to sufficient resistance to exhaust them. And do not mistake the word “exhaust” for being out of breath with heart thumping. You may indeed be breathing heavy and have an elevated heart rate after a tough resistance training workout, but I am talking about exhausting the muscle. You will have to dig deep and do some activity where the muscles physically cannot do any more without reverting to poor form. In other words, work hard, but do not let yourself look like the picture below, that’s just not safe.
Take some time and review the links below, or do your own Google search to learn the fantastic benefits of resistance training. I believe you will be convinced.
Already convinced of the benefits but have no idea on how to get started? Contact me.
References:Related: cardio vs weight #4, cost nothing, why
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/004015.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3940510/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/preserve-your-muscle-mass
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9927006
https://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/bonemass.html
https://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/ageresistUNM.html
https://www.t-nation.com/training/dna-gains
https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/news/20030127/long-distance-runners-risk-bone-loss#1
