11/08/2021
Mid-morning read
The Daily Telegraph published an article on Monday on how weight-based training in mid-life can help us stay slim.
Even though you may hit steps and maintain a ‘moderately active’ lifestyle, this isn’t enough, as you are missing out on the range of benefits associated with strength training.
They cite a study from Iowa University which showed that 2 or more sessions per week of weight training reduced obesity by 20-40 percent. Other results such as the lowering of cholesterol, inflammation and blood pressure were also observed.
Physically weight training in conducive to greater life expectancy, healthier brains and higher bone density are also by-products of weight training.
Mentally it has been shown to boost self-esteem and confidence, short/long-term memory as well as reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Strength training asks us to tap into burning ‘spare’ calories that would otherwise be stored in the body as fat. By doing this, we instead build more muscle tissue in response to the stimulus from strength training.
Naturally, if we have more muscle mass this requires the body to consume more calories in order to function, even at rest.
The current UK Guidelines recommend doing some form of strength training at least twice per week, on top of the recommended 150 minutes of moderate activity per week.
This can easily be done at home with exercise like press-ups, squats and lunges.
But if you would like more information on the above of have any questions on whether we can help you, please drop us a DM or feel free to pop in and speak to our staff.
