It is common for women over the age of 50 to start feeling the effects of aging. While it is an inevitable concept that happens to everyone in their life, there are ways to age gracefully. One activity many people don’t think about with aging is the power of weight lifting.
Weightlifting for women over 50 can provide many benefits that you might not realize. Not only can it increase your physical health as you age, but also your mental health.
5 Benefits of Building Strength for Women Over 50
While there are loads of benefits to weight training past 50 years old, there are some that stick out more than others. These benefits can include the following:
- Improves balance, coordination, and mobility
- Lowers the amount of body fat
- Builds lean muscle
- Reduces the risk of disease
- Improves mental health
Below, we have broken down how each benefit can improve your life and cause you to age in a healthier way.
1. Improves Balance, Coordination, and Mobility
Balance, coordination, and mobility all take some muscle strength to occur. Weight training can help build the muscles you need to improve your balance, coordination, and mobility. During weight training exercises, you might get into an unbalanced position. Getting into these positions and pushing through them can help to increase your balance.
2. Lowers the Amount of Body Fat
It is common knowledge that weight lifting builds muscle. At rest, muscles can burn more calories than other tissues. Therefore, the more muscle a person has, the more calories they can burn while at rest.
Weight lifting can change the inner workings of our cells, causing them to burn more fat. So it isn’t just cardio that burns fat in our bodies, but also weight lifting.
3. Builds Lean Muscle
As people age, their muscle mass can decrease significantly if they aren’t getting enough regular exercise. As you age, if you continue to get stronger, you can continue to participate in the same activities you have always enjoyed. Weight lifting builds the lean muscle mass that many women over the age of 50 begin to lose if they aren’t actively working to keep it.
4. Reduces the Risk of Disease
A little-known benefit of weight lifting for women over 50 is that it lowers your risk for disease. For example, studies have shown that weight lifting or other resistance exercises can significantly impact lowering your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Lowering your risk for cardiovascular diseases can increase the length and quality of your life. Even doing lightweight training can lower your risk of developing these diseases.
5. Improves Mental Health
Participating in a weight-lifting routine can help to improve your mood over time. Not only do the chemicals released during exercise make you feel better, but you could feel more confident, which can improve your mental health.
We Can Help You Get Started With a Weight Lifting Routine
At Choice Physicians Group, we focus on all areas of health. For example, developing a fitness routine helps improve your physical health. Our medical care providers can help you find a workout program that works best for you.
To get started, contact us today!