WHY STRENGTH TRAINING FOR WOMEN IS KEY TO AGEING WELL
There are many benefits to Strength Training for all women and it is especially helpful for older women (and by older I mean over the age of about 40)
And when we can learn to do Strength Training in a slow and mindful way the benefits increase.
What is Strength Training?
Strength training is making muscles work against a weight or resistance. The aim is to build muscles mass and increase strength and endurance.
Strength Training exercises can include;
1. Lifting, pulling, pushing and squatting heavy objects such as kettle bells, dumbbells, barbells or sandbags
2. The use of resistance bands in a variety of movements
3. Bodyweight movements such as hanging, planks or press ups
The key to how I like to teach Strength Training lies in a mindful approach.
When you do these movements slowly and with real attention to where you feel muscles working, where you can relax and where you need some positive tension, how you are breathing and how you feel doing the exercise, they can become a little more like a moving meditation and you learn so much more about how your mind and body work together.
The benefits of Mindful Strength Training for older adults include;
1. Helping to strengthen bones and keep them healthy. Helps protect against osteoarthritis and osteopoenia. It increases bone mineral density
2. Maintaining and building muscle mass which starts to naturally deplete from the age of around 35
3. Helping with pain management and pain reduction for chronic conditions such as arthritis & fibromyalgia.
4. Increasing body confidence
5. Improving mood and general mental health
6. Helping with the ability to perform daily activities and reversing physical frailty
7. Understanding your body better so you feel more comfortable living in it
8. Improving resting metabolic rate due to an increase in muscle mass. This can lead to a faster metabolism
Clinical Evidence supports the benefits of Strength Training in relation to bone health
The update to the NICE draft guidelines for the care and management of osteoarthritis backs up these benefits and recommends doctors now offer strength training and aerobic exercise to help, amongst other things, with reducing joint pain.
“There is evidence which shows muscle strengthening and aerobic exercise can have an impact on not just managing the condition, but also providing people with an improved quality of life.” Dr Paul Chrisp, Director for the Centre for Guidelines at NICE
My client’s story - The results of 2 years of Strength Training on bone health
One of my clients, who is in her 70s and who I’ve seen weekly over Zoom for the last 2 years, highlighted what a difference consistent strength training over time can have on bone health when she texted me the following message after a hospital visit;
“I just needed to tell you that the bone scan results are very encouraging…No ‘progression’ since the one 5 years ago. No change - so still osteopenia, not osteoporosis. And the fracture was just bad luck, no treatment needed. Mostly thanks to the work with you (and plenty of calcium). I thought you should take the credit too!”
How brilliant to see clinically proven results of her dedication to keeping her bones as strong as possible!
We can often think that exercise or moving more is hard, not fun or perhaps not even that important…But, especially as we age, it can be life changing in terms of drastically enhancing quality of life, our ability to remain capable and independent and feel that our bodies are generally nice places to inhabit.
