The Benefits of Lifting Weights: Why You Should Lift to Lose
No-one enjoys putting on weight unexpectedly.
Which is why it’s so frustrating when it happens. We can all expect it at some point in our lifetime though. For instance, between the age of 20 and 50, the average woman puts on approximately 20 to 25 pounds of fat.
It’s natural to put on weight, but it’s never desirable. Among the physical implications, those extra pounds can negatively affect our self-esteem and self-confidence.
Thankfully, there are all sorts of ways to lose it and feel great about our body image again.
Somewhat ironically, lifting weights is one great way of losing weight. You burn calories effectively and increase your metabolism long after the session is over. But weight loss isn’t the only benefit to enjoy from strength training.
The advantages extend into many other areas too. Want to know how else you stand to gain?
Keep reading to discover 8 additional benefits of lifting weights.
Benefits of Lifting Weights to Enjoy
Going to the gym and lifting weights packs a whole host of benefits to people who do it. First and foremost you’ll lose weight. But there’s more to look forward to…
1. Improved Sleep
Sleep disorders are common in the US.
In fact, over 50 million people suffer from one. But you don’t need a disorder to have the occasional sleep problem. All of us can expect to struggle with poor sleep at some point.
Nicely, weight lifting is known to counteract the problem. That’s right, exercise, including strength training, will reduce insomnia and improve the quality of sleep in general. You can expect to fall asleep quicker and enjoy deeper sleep throughout the night.
2. Greater Strength
It sounds obvious.
But lifting weights will make you stronger. You don’t need to be Arnold Schwarzenegger. Even lifting small weights is sure to improve your strength.
Your entire body stands to gain with the right training. Keep lifting over time and your legs, back, arms, shoulders, forearms, and core, and so on will all get stronger.
Everything outside the gym becomes easier as a result. Expect everyday activities to become a breeze. Your grocery shopping, household chores, lifting things around the house, and so on will all feel that bit easier.
3. Healthier Bones
Our bones (and muscles) suffer as we age.
Simply, our bone mass tends to dwindle over time. But resistance training helps prevent that loss. Get to the gym sooner rather than later though!
Starting to lift weights at an earlier age means you stand a better chance of maintaining your bone health later down the line.
4. Reduced Risk of Other Health Problems
Lifting weights helps to prevent other health problems that might develop.
Here are just a few of them:
- Lower chance of heart disease
- Lower chance of diabetes
- Lower chance of arthritis
- Lower chance of osteoporosis
- Lower blood pressure
As you can see, there are some clear health-related incentives to get down to the gym. Lifting weights can mean fewer visits to the doctor.
5. Reduced Risk of Injury
Increased body strength will help prevent injury too.
This is a big deal for anyone that’s prone to injury. Strength the muscles of your body also improves the ligaments and tendons that support your body. Strengthening the connective tissue in this way helps protect the body.
Sure, you can get injured in the gym too.
However, you can usually prevent them by using the correct technique, exercises, and weights appropriate for your current strength, and getting supervision from trained professionals where necessary.
6. Better Mental Health
Of course, our general wellbeing is about more than just physical health.
Our mental health plays a major role in our ability to enjoy life.
Weight lifting has been shown to improve our mental health. For example, consistent resistance training (no matter how heavy or light the weights were) helps to combat depression in men and women of any age. The effects are immediate and long-lasting.
Endorphins are released in the brain, and the stress hormone, cortisol, is reduced. The message is clear: lift weights and you’ll feel better in both mind and body.
7. Become More Balanced and Flexible
When was the last time you tried to touch your toes?
We’d hazard a guess that it may have been a while! Through lack of practice, poor health-regimes and general aging, our levels of flexibility can drop rapidly over time. The same is true of other important physical capabilities, such as stability and balance.
But weight lifting is a known antidote to all of the above. More muscle and less fat mean greater flexibility, balance, and stability. The gym forces our muscles (including the vital stabilizing muscles) and joints to work. Combined with regular stretching, we can remain strong, flexible and supple for longer.
These qualities are vital as we age. They help reduce the number of falls we can expect to happen, and maintain our independence for longer.
8. Improved Ability in Unexpected Areas
Becoming stronger has a positive impact on all sorts of unexpected domains.
You can expect to improve at almost anything with a physical component. Your sporting activities will get a boost, your gardening will get easier, the staircase at home will be a breeze, your joints will hurt less, and so on and so forth.
This is always a lovely side-effect of strength training. The hard work in the gym pays dividends outside of it.
Time to Get Lifting
There you have it: 8 benefits of lifting weights that any gym-goer will enjoy.
Gaining weight as a natural part of life. We can expect our body shape and size to fluctuate over time, especially as we age. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do anything about it. Indeed, gaining weight can have all manner of physical, mental and emotional implications.
Weightlifting is an effective way of combatting weight gain. And, as we’ve seen, there are many further advantages to look forward to as well.
Hopefully, the benefits we’ve highlighted here will provide the push you might need to get started!
Did you like this piece? Want to begin your weight-loss journey and would like a helping hand to kick-start the process? Contact us today to see how we can help.
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