Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash
Kent Probst, BS, MEd
Kent Probst is the owner of Long Healthy Life Blog
You’re off to a good start. Congratulations!
Maybe you’ve been exercising for a while and your workout is all aerobic exercise.
Or maybe you don’t feel you have time for resistance exercise.
If you’re not doing resistance exercise for longevity, there are lots of good reasons to start.
You may have heard of some of the benefits.
Here are some more compelling reasons resistance exercise should be part of your anti-aging plan:
1) Resistance Exercise for Longevity: Promotes a Healthier Brain
You probably know people who have experienced dementia or cognitive decline with age. The good news: it’s not inevitable. Resistance exercise reduces cognitive decline.
New research indicates that resistance exercise may have a greater positive effect than cardiovascular exercise when it comes brain health.
It improves blood flow to your brain, and it contributes to the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) and new brain cells (neurogenesis).
It also stimulates your brain to produce more neurotransmitters which help with learning and memory.
2) Resistance Exercise for Longevity: Produces an Enzyme that Can Save Your Life
The enzyme is AMPK. It stands for adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase.
AMPK works at the cellular level to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
It also reduces your risk of cancer and helps control weight gain, just to name a few benefits.
You increase AMPK activity in your muscles during resistance exercise.
As you age, AMPK activity declines your body.
That’s why resistance exercise is so important.
3) Quenches the Fires of Inflammation
You may have heard that inflammation leads to a host of degenerative diseases related to aging.
Excess body fat also contributes to increased inflammation.
Unfortunately, a high fat diet is also associated with more inflammation.
That’s where resistance exercise comes in. It actually reduces the levels of inflammation in your body.
As resistance exercise decreases inflammation, it also improves your insulin sensitivity.
Improving your insulin sensitivity means you’re reducing your risk of diabetes.
4) Make the Grim Reaper Wait
You’ve been told that aerobic exercise lowers the risk of early death.
Well now, recent research from the University of Sydney in Australia indicates that resistance exercise may also reduce your risk of dying early.
Dr. Emmanuel Stamatakis found that people who engaged in resistance exercise had a 23% lower risk of death from all causes.
It may also reduce your risk of cancer, according to Dr. Stamatakis.
5) Keeps You Looking Young and Virile
As you age, you lose muscle mass at a significant rate unless you’re doing resistance exercise.
This loss of muscle mass is known as sarcopenia. Between age 40 and 70, you lose 8% muscle mass per decade.
It also increases your muscle mass, making you stronger and more in control.
This results in better balance, reducing the chances that you’ll fall and cause a fracture.
Now You Have More Firepower in Your Anti-Aging Arsenal
Adding resistance exercise just 2 times per week can significantly slow and reverse the aging process.
It can be done easily lots of different ways:
- Weight Machines
- Barbells
- Dumbbells
- Bands
You’ll feel and look better when you get stronger and build muscle.
Pick up those dumbbells.
Stretch that theraband.
Push that weight stack.
Once you get started, you’ll be glad you did.
Don’t know where to start?
- Try a session with a personal trainer.
- It’s always a good idea to consult a physician if you have some known medical conditions.
- Ask a friend to workout with you.
It’s easier than you think to make resistance exercise part of your anti-aging plan.
You don’t need a complicated workout. 8–10 exercises for the major muscle groups.
Take charge of your health and fitness with resistance exercise.
The benefits will be life-changing.
Additional resource: 24 Tips to Change Your Workout for the Better
