SOS: Day 80
March 20, 2011 
1 Comment
Day 80
The research is weighty.
Creative commons via flickr by Usodesita.
This week we’ve been thinking about adding weight training to our workouts. I should have been calling this resistance training, because in addition to using dumbbells and barbells and machines, you can also use bands and even your own weight (as in push-ups) for the same effect.
Research shows so many advantages to this kind of training, it would be crazy not to do it! And, it seems, every week additional studies reveal more benefits.
20 proven benefits of resistance training
Resistance training:
- improves your muscular strength and aerobic endurance.
- helps you with everyday activities, such as improving your balance so you’re less prone to falling when disco dancing, and making you stronger so it’s easier to climb stairs and carry groceries and crawl around on the floor with your parrot.
- decreases your blood pressure–perhaps you could get off those expensive meds.
- increases bone density and helps prevent osteoporosis.
- reverses loss of muscle due to aging–after 30, you lose 3-5% of your muscle mass every decade, and that muscle is usually replaced by fat…wouldn’t you rather be toned?
- reverses the slowing of your metabolism that starts by the time you’re 30—meaning you could go back to eating those giant plates of pasta again.
- helps with low back pain and strengthens the back so fewer injuries occur.
- decreases your risk of developing diabetes as an adult.
- increases your resting metabolic rate, which means you burn more calories even when you’re sitting on your butt watching MadMen; regular resistance training can increase your metabolic rate by up to 15%, so ifyou usually burn 2000 calories per day, that’s a 300 extra!
- quickens transit time of your gastrointestinal tract—once you put it in, it’s comes out faster—which decreases changes that lead to colon cancer.
- lowers your resting heart rate.
- decreases body fat, and for every pound of muscle you gain, your body burns 50 more calories with you not having to do a thing.
- leads to psychological well-being—not only the improved confidence of trotting around in a newly toned bod, but a decrease in clinical depression.
- increases the good cholesterol in your bloodstream.
- improves posture…and boy do I need that.
- improves immune section functioning.
- improves coordination…and boy do I need that, too.
- makes your clothes fit better because you lose fat and gain muscle; muscle is more compact than fat.
- if you’re a man, you will increase muscle mass; if you’re a woman, don’t worry–less testosterone means you won’t get bulky, just toned.
- shapes, tones, lifts, firms your body.
SOS Month 3
What to do so far:
In case you missed a day, the reminders below are clickable.
Get in shape for the best years ahead.
Eat chia…don’t pet it.
Exercise keeps you sharp.
Counteract urban or rural lifestyle risks.
Control what life expectancy factors you can.
Find a mate. Or live as if you’ve got one.
Activate your endorphins.
Wanna live? Exercise!
Drink your HOH ASAP.
Drink java.
Count calories to lose weight faster.
Count calories free online.
On the Ides I’d rather…
Watch funny flicks.
Lift weights to tone and firm.
Lift heavy or lift light.
Cut back on salt.
Remember the benefits of resistance training.
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