Nowadays, you will find people doing a lot of aerobics and cardio training just to stay fit and maintain good health. Engaging in these activities for the sole purpose of staying fit and healthy is great, but have you ever asked yourself if that is all it takes to stay healthy and still maintain a perfect body. Would these activities alone help you achieve that perfect body you are looking for? Do you think there could be something you are not doing? As an answer to these questions, research conducted by health specialists have indicated that strength training is and should be a part of staying fit and staying healthy. Here are some of the reasons why strength training is right for you:
Strength training helps you control your weight
This is one fact not too many people are aware of. When you engage in strength training, you gain muscles; the muscle requires more calories to maintain, which in turn makes you burn calories faster. In other words, you are able to lose more weight and control your added body mass when you do strength training.
Strength training increases your stamina
Strength training helps you gain lean and toned muscles. The more your muscles are toned, the easier it will be for you to carry out both athletic and day to day activities. Strength training with a program of high repetitions and low weights builds both stamina and muscle.
It reduces the risk of sustaining injuries
When you engage in strength training coupled with other muscle toning exercises, your joints and ligaments stay flexible. This way, you are more balanced; this increases your strength and coordination while reducing your risk of injury.
Your bones get stronger
Regular participation in a typical strength training workout or muscle building taxes your bones, resulting in an increase in bone density. The continuous strain and stress laid upon the bones and muscles during strength training, helps to make the bones a lot stronger than normal. The more you do this, the more you reduce the possibility of brittle bones associated with aging. What this means, is that when you have very strong bones, you reduce the chances of suffering from arthritis and osteoporosis, diseases of the bones, known to affect the elderly a lot more than younger people.
Taking time out time out of your busy schedule to hit the gym and do a little bit of strength training or muscle building, even if it's just going to be once a week would totally complement your efforts in staying fit and healthy.