Why strength training is a must as you age
Sure, you already know that exercise is essential to achieving good health. You may have read about it in many articles or even heard it from your own doctor.
As Harvard Health puts it, exercising regularly is “the single most important thing you can do for your health.” Right away, it can help control appetite, boost mood and improve sleep. Eventually, it can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia, depression and many other medical conditions.
If you’re too uninspired to take that first step, Miguel Baldovino, a trainer at Kinetix+ boutique gym, suggests finding your why in having an exercise regimen. It could be to lose weight and look good in trendy clothes, or to halt your progression to prediabetes stage. It could also be to see your grandchildren grow, as Baldovino has learned from some gym members in their senior years. He then recommends strength training as an answer to that why.
Strength training, according to Mayo Clinic, is a key component of overall health and fitness, as lean muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. It can be done at home, starting with pushups, pull-ups, planks, lunges and squats. You can use a resistance band that you can buy from a sports store and use when doing stretches. You can also buy barbells and dumbbells for some weightlifting. But if you have the means, you can always go to the gym, preferably the one nearest your place of residence or work, so it will be convenient for you.
Consult your doctor
Before starting your strength training, Baldovino says consulting your doctor if you have a medical condition is a must, even if preassessment is standard at gyms like Kinetix+. The strength meter assessment, for instance, is divided into three sections that covers health, fitness and lifestyle. You will find here your body fat percentage, muscle mass percentage, visceral fat rating and other pertinent figures.
Visceral fat is belly fat found deep within the abdominal cavity, and it surrounds the stomach, liver, intestines and other organs. This is actually more dangerous than subcutaneous fat, or what Filipinos call bilbil.The assessment can reveal some surprising health information, as this writer found out.
Despite having a lean figure, I actually have a slow metabolism based on my basal metabolic rate (BMR) that is way below the average of 1,400 kcal for women. This means I should continue having an active lifestyle and sensible eating habits.
Depending on the overall result of your assessment, you can hire a personal trainer or make your own program based on the recommendation of the trainers at the gym.
Plus, you can always ask for their advice and assistance while working out. You have to do warm-up exercises, like some stretching, before starting your routine. You can hit the treadmill and move to other cardio equipment, then do weights and pull-ups. You can also join group exercises for a more enjoyable and complete workout.
What I found really enticing for working out is the Artificial Intelligence-powered Biostrength line of equipment at Kinetix+ that makes the routine look and feel like a video game.
So while trying to hit the ball-like figure on the screen attached to the machine, like the Low Row, you are actually exercising your back muscles. Then you realize the secret to hitting the ball and getting a high score is doing the exercise the right way so you will also target the right muscles. There is an AI-powered machine to exercise the shoulders, legs, and chest, so by the time you’re done, you’ve had a complete workout.
