Fitness
Strength Training Through the Decades
By
Sep 6, 2010 - 6:03:42 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - It's no secret that strength training promotes good health and defends against the aging process. A well-designed exercise program that includes weight training will impact your weight, health, fitness and well-being for decades to come. Let's take a look at how lifting weights can have a positive effect at each decade of a woman's lifespan.

At 20: A 20-year-old woman who does not lift weights will lose about 6 pounds of muscle and gain 5 pounds of fat by age 50. Subtle changes begin to occur in your body composition that are not reflected on the bathroom scale. Even though you maintain your weight perfectly over time, if you do not lift weights your lean body mass begins to decline and your body fat increases.

At 30: Strengthening the muscles benefits the bones as well. By age 30 you’ve achieved your peak bone mass, the most bone density you’ll have in your lifetime. Exercise has a dramatic effect on the growing skeleton, which is why it is essential for children and adolescents to be physically active. Once the skeleton stops growing, the effect of exercise on the bone is more modest. If you do not develop adequate bone-mineral density at an early age, your risk of osteoporosis increases later in life.

At 40: At about age 40, most women start to lose bone and muscle mass causing a decrease in metabolism of about 3% every decade. Strength training keeps you lean by building muscles. Lean body mass has a higher resting metabolic rate than fat, burning more calories as you breathe, digest food, even as you sleep.

At 50: The average weight gain during perimenopause is 10 pounds. Hormonal changes cause some loss of muscle with accompanying weight gain, but you can keep this to a minimum with weight training. Exercise may be the most important factor in keeping weight off once you've lost it. In one recent study, women who lost weight and exercised (either on a walking program or on a weight-training regimen) regained less weight than those who didn't, and, even more striking, did not regain weight around their mid-section.

At 60: In your 60’s the loss of muscle fibers causes you to slow down, lose strength and vigor. Specifically, the fast-twitch muscle fibers, which provide for rapid, high-intensity movement, shrink in size, causing not only a loss of muscle mass, but also a loss of power. Restoring muscle restores your strength and energy levels.

At 70: In the U.S. 2/3 of women over the age of 75 can’t lift 10 pounds. Studies show that you are never too old to begin a weight-training program and that lifting weights can improve your quality of life even into your 80's and 90's. Weight training creates stability, which can help balance and walking ability. Strong people are more active and self sufficient.
Research shows that much of what we consider the aging process – the loss of strength, stamina, bone density, balance and flexibility – is actually due to inactivity. A program of regular, moderate physical activity that includes strength training will preserve a more youthful functional age and increase your capacity for life.

Joan Pagano is a best-selling author and an expert on the benefits of exercise for women's health issues such as pregnancy, breast cancer, menopause and osteoporosis as well as strength training through the decades. For more about Joan and her services, please visit Joan Pagano Fitness

(c) Copyright - Joan L. Pagano. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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