5 reasons why strength training is the ultimate exercise for women of all age groups

When we talk about exercise, we rarely mean strength training. The common thinking is that anything that gets your body moving is exercise, and while that is partially true, there is much more to exercise than just taking a run, or doing aerobics. Strength training, that includes lifting, and working on specific muscles of your body, is an important part of your overall exercise regimen, and should be part of your everyday regime. For women especially, strength training can have a host of benefits, and here are a few of them...

Strength training for women helps in building lean muscle mass, which is important to maintain strength and endurance, especially as you age. Not only that, weight-bearing exercises help to increase bone density and greatly reduce the risk of osteoporosis, which is a common condition in older women. It also helps in increasing power, speed, and endurance.

Weight loss becoming more and more difficult as you age? Blame it on your metabolism, which slows down as you get older. Strength training often helps you with bettering your metabolism, which means that you will burn more calories while at rest, helping you lose that stubborn weight quickly. Not only that, with strength training, even fat loss becomes easy, even if you are not doing active cardio.

Just like all our other body parts, our joints too, deteriorate as we age, but they don't have to, if you treat them right. For this, strength training is an excellent tool, which can help protect them from injury and reduce pain associated with conditions like arthritis. Regular strength training will make you less susceptible to injuries and joint pain, that could have made life difficult as you age.

Strength training can also help lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. However, the key is to do it consistently, and combine it with other forms of exercise such as walking, running, jogging, yoga, swimming, pilates etc. The trick is to mix up your exercise routine, so that your body reaps the benefits of all.

Apart from physical benefits, Strength training, like all forms of exercise, releases endorphins, which have mood-boosting effects and can help reduce stress and anxiety. Regular strength training can lead to a sense of accomplishment and confidence that extends to all areas of your life. Some research also suggests that strength training may help improve cognitive function and reduce the risk of age-related cognitive decline. This apart, with regular strength training, you also tend to sleep better, thus improving your immunity.