Why You Should Strength Train

If you have not heard, Oprah fell off the wagon last year and she is not alone. Many people echo her words year after year and some add, they fell off and the wagon backed up and ran over them. As a trainer, I can provide my theories and suggestions as to why one needs to exercise and strength train, but when Oprah gave her confessional on national television last week, she spoke and related to many people.
Oprah stated, "What I've actually started to enjoy is resistance training. Yes, working with weights." Her explanations continued by stating that as you get older, you lose more muscle which needs maintenance. For her, resistance training has been fascinating because she can see that even though the weight is not dropping as quickly as she would like, she can see her shape changing. She is firmer and her clothes are looser.
If you refer to my entry entitled Dieting Truths, dated 7/1/2008, I also talk about these same principles. During strength training it is possible to get smaller and not lose much weight at the same time. Muscle is a much denser tissue than fat. A pound of muscle is very solid, while a pound of fat is like a big fluffy bunch of feathers. The fat takes up more space in your body so when you strength train you are losing inches first instead of pounds and your clothes start to feel different. Always rely on how your feel and look because the scale can be misleading and discourage you when you are doing a great job.
When I talk about this topic, I often ask people to think about how their bodies have changed and how subtle the weight gain may have been, especially in their 30's and 40's. At this point, if you have not been exercising regularly your muscle development has peaked and is actually headed in the other direction. In short, if you do not strengthen your muscles, you lose them. When you have more lean muscle in your body, you burn calories even at rest and weight gain is minimal or non-existent. It definitely assists a weight loss goal.
So carve out some time, at minimum 30 minutes twice a week to strength train. Work on all muscle groups; chest, triceps, back, biceps, shoulders, legs and core abdominals.
If you need to lose weight and know you could be healthier physically and emotionally, remember strength training is a necessary part of an overall fitness regimen. This goes along with cardiovascular exercises and smarter food choices. Even if you do not need to lose weight, strength training and exercise are always a part of a healthy lifestyle. Live Well!