Getting married. Raising a family. Moving across the world. Returning to college for an advanced degree. Becoming an “empty nester.” That moment when you realize you’ve arrived at middle age. For better or worse, these are life-changing events that make you a different person.
But devoting some time to strength training exercises practically guarantees your life will change for the better. In fact, I’ve outlined seven ways in which your life can significantly change if you will simply commit to strength training. Mid-Life Improvement #1: Toned This one’s obvious for anyone who has ever felt the jiggle of belly fat. Whether it’s a spreading, midlife waistline, or the “droop” of skin at the back of your arm, when you add strength training to your routine, your body shapes up quickly. If you’re new to the gym, work with a personal trainer (or call me) to determine an appropriate strength-training regimen that works best for you and your desired goals. Not only will you look better, you’ll feel better, more youthful and more confident, too. But lifting weights isn’t just about looking good… Mid-Life Improvement #2: Health Risks Drop Want to reduce your worry factor significantly? Then start lifting weights. When you do, you’ll find your body has better defense against the common cold and other everyday sicknesses. Furthermore, by lifting weights and staying healthy, you’ll be better able to sidestep countless diseases that plague so many of us that are over forty—from diabetes and cancer to heart disease and stroke. Mid-Life Improvement #3: You’ll Go Longer Ever find yourself ready for a nap and it’s only 10am? Wish you had the stamina to play a game of kickball with your kids or grandchildren on the weekends? Lifting weights will help you improve your stamina so you can do just that. Once you’ve lifted weights for a while, your muscles grow stronger and you’ll realize how easy something that used to be a physical challenge or impossibility has become for you. Mid-Life Improvement #4: Sex Improves Now here's a good one! Lifting weights may not transform you into some sort of sexual dynamo, but it will do lots of good things for your body that in turn translates to good things for you in the sexual arena. Strength training does this is by improving blood flow throughout your body, which is important for sexual function. On top of blood flow, you will feel better about your body and, if you’re a male - become less likely to struggle with sexual dysfunction. Mid-Life Improvement #5: You Can Focus Whether they’re work meetings, church meeting, volunteer meeting or even plain old family meetings, the truth is; meetings aren’t the most exciting events in the world. Some can drone on for hours, and your involvement does little to help those you’re meeting with find solutions. Until you start lifting weights. With regular exercise, your brain is getting the blood flow necessary for optimal function and cellular renewal. Yes – even your brain can grow new cells! Mid-Life Improvement #6: You’ll Smile More Being middle-aged is not easy, but neither is being thirteen. And while life may have dealt you some significant challenges over the years, this doesn’t give you a license to go into ‘crotchety old fart’ mode… When stress has you spiraling into a bout of sadness or even depression, studies confirm that regular exercise can elevate your mood. Lift weights regularly and soon you’ll experience something the prescription-producing world doesn’t want you to know and that is: Lifting weights gives your body what it needs to produce mood enhancing hormones... And you won’t even need a doctor’s prescription! ;-). There You Have It That’s my own personal list of what I believe to be the most perfect reasons to maintain an active exercise program. Don’t believe me, or don’t know where or how to start a program of your own? Give me a call or shoot me an email today to get started on a fitness routine that I’ll custom tailor to your needs. And you’ll soon see these improvements for yourself.
