Lifting weights offers benefits as we age

Should we all be lifting weights?

The loss of muscle mass and strength is associated with numerous age-related disorders such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, lower back pain, risk of falling and disability.

Regular participation in resistance training, however, can reduce the likelihood and severity of muscle and bone wear and tear over the years and as we age.

The 2016 article Resistance Training as a Tool for Preventing and Treating Musculoskeletal Disorders by Emmanuel Gomes Ciolac, José Messias and Rodrigues-da-silva discusses evidence that “regular practice of resistance exercise may prevent and control the development of several musculoskeletal chronic diseases.”

Also, “resistance training may also improve physical fitness, function and independence in older people with musculoskeletal disorders, which may result in improved quality of the years lived.”

I get that not everyone wants to be a bodybuilder, but that's not what I'm talking about here. You don't have to be athletic, join a gym or buy super-fancy equipment to improve your strength. However, lifting weights (also known as resistance training) in one form or another is recommended for people of all ages.

Free weights (barbells, dumbbells, plates, battle ropes and kettlebells), body weight training and suspension training are various types of resistance training. If you're under the age of 50 it's important to have a good muscle mass because we start to lose up to one per cent of muscle mass per year after that. That's up to 30 per cent loss by the time you're 80. And depending on various lifestyle and genetic factors, we can lose muscle strength even faster than 1 per cent per year.

So, the more muscle mass we have before age 50, the better off we'll be as we age. The more we lift weights over the age of 50, the slower our rate of loss will be. Why settle for one per cent loss, when you can keep your strength even longer? You can have more muscle and slow down the rate of muscle loss by lifting weights when you're older than 50.

Lifting weights is not just about muscle “mass” and “strength” though. It's a great way to maintain good health for just about everyone at any age, whether you're athletic or not.

Here are five key health factors that are improved with increased muscle mass.

Boost metabolism - Your muscles burn calories, even when they're not working. By building healthy, strong muscles, like the kind you get from lifting weights, your muscles will burn more calories. Even while you sleep. Not only that, but less muscle mass is associated with increased fat stores, as well as increased inflammation. Lifting weights can build up your muscles so they become more efficient metabolismboosters, calorie burners, as well as less fat storage and inflammation.

Strength to do everything things - Lifting weights can help reduce our risk of becoming dependent on others for everyday tasks, because, ‘I can do this myself - thank you very much.'

Managing blood sugar - When your body has trouble maintaining healthy amounts of sugar in your blood (not too much and not too little), this can cause both short- and long-term issues. Short-term issues can include things like fatigue and brain fog. And, of course, long-term issues are the potential for insulin resistance, or even diabetes. Interestingly, healthy strong muscles can help your body maintain proper blood sugar control. They do this because they can store and burn excess blood sugar, therefore, helping to keep blood sugar levels in just the right balance.

Maintaining bone health - One in three women and one in five men end up with osteoporosis. Weak bones can break easily from a simple slip on soft grass or even carpet.

But did you also know that your bones can stay strong when your muscles stay strong?

When your muscles pull on the bones to move you around, the bones get the message that they're important and your friendly bone-building cells actively keep making strong healthy bones. This doesn't happen so much when muscles aren't pulling on them. When the muscles get weaker from lack of use, the bones follow suit. Weight lifting improves balance and reduces the risk of falling, both of which reduce risk of breaking bones.

Research examining the effects of exercise on bone health in females (from young girls to postmenopausal women) showed impact exercises along with resistance training are the best choices to preserve and/or improve bone mineral density in pre- and postmenopausal women.

Longer and better quality of life Those who have more muscle mass and strength have lower rates of illness - heart disease, cancer, mental disorders, etc. They are healthy, independent and mentally sharp. Lifting weights can help stave off all of those, so we can truly have a healthy, long life. Resistance training helps us maintain good health, live longer and have a better quality of life as we age. So, to answer the question ‘should we all be lifting weights?' the answer is yes. Please note: before starting any new fitness program, however, it's advisable to first consult your doctor.