With spring coming up, you might be eyeing up your strappy tops with just a little bit of dread. No one likes to show off their dreaded bingo wings, so what do you do? You need to take your fitness into your own hands and get those arms the tone they need. As well as toning your arms, strength training has multiple benefits to your wellbeing, so if you need more motivation, here’s why you need to strength train (and LOVE every minute of it):
1. You Can Preserve Muscle Mass During Weight Loss: Wellness writer Leanne Beattie notes, ‘According to a University of Michigan research study, at least 25% to 30% of weight lost by dieting alone is not fat but lean tissue, muscle, bone and water. However, strength training helps dieters preserve muscle mass while still losing weight…Starting in their twenties, most people (especially women) lose half a pound of muscle every year if they aren’t strength training to preserve it. After age 60, this rate of loss doubles. But regular strength training can preserve muscle throughout the lifespan, and rebuild the muscle lost.’
2. You Can Eat More Without Gaining Weight: ‘Since muscle is active tissue (unlike fat, which is inert), it requires energy to maintain,’ says Beattie. ‘The more muscle you have, the more you can eat without gaining weight. Strength training can provide up to a 15% increase in metabolic rate, which is helpful for weight loss and long-term weight control. For every additional pound of muscle you gain, your body will burn about 50 more calories each day. A study by Wayne Westcott, PhD, from the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, showed that a woman who strength trains two or three times a week for eight weeks gains 1.75 lbs of muscle and loses 3.5 lbs of fat. And Johns Hopkins researchers found that while aerobic exercise burns more calories at the time you are exercising, your metabolism returns to normal about 30 minutes after you finish your workout. Individuals who perform strength training, however, elevate their metabolisms (burn more calories) for two hours after their workouts end.’
3. You Can Increase Your Bone Density: Beattie details, ‘A study conducted by Miriam E. Nelson, PhD of TuftsUniversity found that strength training increases both muscle mass and bone density. Dr. Nelson’s research showed that women who lifted weights did not lose any bone density throughout the study, and actually gained an average of 1% more bone mass in the hip and spine. Non-exercising women lost 2% to 2.5% of bone mass during the same period of time. Another University of Arizona study showed a 3% increase in spine and hip bone mineral density after an 18-month strength training program among women, ages 28 to 39.’
4. You Can Reduce Your Depression: ‘In a study of 32 men and women who suffered from chronic depression, Nalin Singh, MD and Tufts University associates divided the individuals into two groups,’ Beattie outlines. ‘They directed half to perform strength training while the other half received health information. After three months, 14 of the 16 members who lifted weights felt better and no longer met the criteria for depression. A Harvard study also showed that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than standard counselling alone.’
5. You Can Prevent Diabetes: Beattie explains, ‘Research shows that strength training can increase glucose utilization in the body by 23% in just four months. As muscles contract and relax during exercise, they use sugar for energy. To meet this energy need, your body uses sugar supplies in your blood, reducing your blood sugar levels.’