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Beat the "Disuse" Syndrome With Strength Training Exercise

Health Clubs and Fitness Centres

Beat the "Disuse" Syndrome With Strength Training ExerciseBy Carolyn Hansen

The old saying is when it comes to getting older; you're as young as you feel. Well if you don't exercise on a very regular and vigorous basis you won't feel very young whatever your age. It is a shame that society accepts and even encourages a lack of activity among people as they get older.

We are told to "take it easy", "slow down" and "to age gracefully". This sounds a lot like "idly" doesn't it? We start to practice getting old - start taking smaller steps, moving more slowly, taking time to get up out of a chair. We start to think "old thoughts" and "old thoughts" lead to "old people" behaviors because this is what we think society expects of us.

We see others slow down as they age so we believe its normal therefore, we slow down and "take it easy" too...and then proceed to fall apart, lose function, deteriorate, and decay. A human body not properly used will waste away into a frail, weak shell. It must be used or you are very definitely going to lose it.

Listen up - we do not have to experience the effects of aging as most people perceive it in our culture. We do not have to succumb to illness and disease and experience physical and mental decline. We get old and decrepit because we aren't active enough and because we believe it's normal to become old and decrepit.

It has been proven that more than 50 percent of the decline in functioning - weak muscles, stiff joints, low energy levels etc - is actually due to disuse and is not a normal consequence of age. The body is designed to last at least 100 years and is supposed to move well and function well at this age, however the chances of spotting a sprightly 100 year old are pretty remote.

The "disuse" syndrome makes you feel old, so you act old and this leads a downward spiral of becoming less and less active. The newest focus, however, is on protecting yourself against the many degenerative diseases and conditions that were once thought to be a natural part of aging.

A new body of research on physical activity and the aging process shows that a healthy lifestyle full of exercise can make you look and feel years younger.Studies have shown that exercise may be the closest known thing to a fountain of youth. Regular vigorous exercise combats the effects of aging by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, stimulating circulation and reducing the risk of heart attack, heart disease and stroke. It strengthens bones, tones muscles, fosters weight loss, relieves stress, increases energy levels and boosts your mood, all of which helps you look and feel younger.

If you're in a panic now because you're 40, 50, or 60 or older and you haven't been exercising, don't worry because here's the good news: it is NEVER too late; you don't have to let this "disuse" syndrome effect you.

Enter strength training exercise and its benefits. Here is something that will improve muscle tone, increase flexibility, power, endurance, and help you lose unwanted body fat. Strength training is a challenge at the mental, spiritual, and physical levels and is the crucical and critical tonic for rejuvenating and revitalizing the body.

Get started right away and reap the priceless, youthful health benefits of a proper exercise program As you embark on your mission remember that you are investing in something near and dear to your own heart - your life and future of healthy living.

Carolyn Hansen has worked in the Fitness Industry for over 30 years. Currently the co-owner of 2 Fitness Centres in Northland New Zealand. A National Champion Bodybuilder with over 25 years competition experience. Enjoys writing health and fitness articles for local newspapers and magazines. If you want a second odds to right the wrongs you have committed against your body, you can be rejuvenated. You can regain vitality, muscular strength, endurance and a higher quality of life. Go to http://www.over50looking30.com for a FREE Report "I've Found the Fountain of Youth"- Let Me Show You Too!

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Strength Training Will Make You Feel Great

Health Clubs and Fitness Centres

Strength Training Will Make You Feel GreatBy Carolyn Hansen

Would you like to look good - and feel even better? Try strength training exercise as it is also a great mood booster. You will build strength, improve your muscle tone, raise your energy levels, boost your self-esteem and decrease the risk of some diseases.

It's really all about how you feel - Research has shown that proper exercise programs do a lot more than strengthen your heart and build your bones - it improves how you feel about yourself and your outlook on life. Research shows that the better you feel about yourself and the more effectively you manage stress, the calmer you will be, the better your overall health is likely to be and the more you will enjoy life.

It is not only the outside you need to exercise; the inside is just as important if not more. The better we feel about ourselves the better environment we create around us making other people happy as well. And if you are enthusiastic about exercising you might pass it on to someone who is not active and help them to change their life.

The physical needs and outcomes of exercise, whether it's to tone muscle, lose weight, address obesity or increase lifespan, dominates what we hear about, however lots of people who exercise don't see stark physical benefits. This message needs to be rewritten. When you exercise you are going to feel better, you will sleep better, and have more energy. You will also have increased confidence, a feeling of well being and a sense of self that result from your efforts as you are doing something for yourself. This carries over into every aspect of your daily life.

While increasing your performance and energy through strength training exercise, you may discover there are also benefits to your mental health. Not only does strength training make your body work better it will make you happier as well and will give you a health state of mind. It is a superb way to blow off the stress, anxiety, and tension of the day and increases the ability to relax and be calm.

Studies show that you will be less likely to suffer from depression when you improve your strength and fitness. Physical exercise is great brain exercisetoo as by moving your body, your brain has to learn new muscle skills, estimate distance and practice balance.

It has been well proven that we all need physical activity to be healthy. People who exercise regularly feel better mentally and physically, improve their health, reduce the risk of disease and increase their chances of staying fit and independent as they age.

Instead of exercising because you "have to," you do it because you want to; and it becomes part of who you are. This approach to becoming more active is for the whole person and can bring true "health" rather than just "fitness."

By shifting the focus from how exercise makes you look to how it makes you feel may help people start, maintain or even appreciate an exercise or workout program. If you are having motivational roadblocks with exercise because you are trying to spot reduce your midsection, ask yourself do you feel better, sleep better or have more and greater energy during the day. Do not neglect to look at those very important and positive outcomes because you are so focused on your belly.

Exercise is one of the most important things you can do for your mind and your body. It's never too late to start, however the sooner you start the sooner you can reap the benefits.

Carolyn Hansen has worked in the Fitness Industry for over 30 years. Currently the co-owner of 2 Fitness Centres in Northland New Zealand. A National Champion Bodybuilder with over 25 years competition experience. Enjoys writing health and fitness articles for local newspapers and magazines. If you want a second odds to right the wrongs you have committed against your body, you can be rejuventated. You can regain vitality, muscular strength, endurance and a higher quality of life. Go to http://www.over50looking30.com for a FREE Report "I've Found the Fountain of Youth"- Let Me Show You Too!

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Strength Training Helps Combat Lifestyle Diseases

Health Clubs and Fitness Centres

Strength Training Helps Combat Lifestyle DiseasesBy Carolyn Hansen

Heart disease and cancer are the primary cause of death in older people. These diseases along with others such as diabetes, degenerative diseases and joint problems are sometimes called "lifestyle diseases". This is because how we choose to live increases our risk of contracting them and therefore affects our health. These diseases are becoming more widespread as countries become more industrialized and are different from other diseases because they are potentially preventable.

The signs of aging, declining energy, gray hair, wrinkles and poor eyesight are changes that come on gradually however noticeably. The most profound change however creeps up on most of us in stealth like fashion totally unnoticed. It is the slow, progressive and unrelenting loss of muscle tissue, called sarcopenia (which means vanishing flesh).

From at around age 30 this loss of muscle tissue amounts to 300-500 grams per year accelerating as one gets older. Although sarcopenia is not an actual disease, it sets the stage and is the backdrop against which most other diseases are played out. The loss of muscular strength is associated with a downward spiral of declining health and physical function. Sarcopenia is both a fundamental cause and a contributor to disability and disease progression. The severity of this loss of muscle tissue is determined by how we take care of ourselves in the years and decades before we get old.

Inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle is more of a sinister enemy that we realize. Many people just sit around, endless hours of watching TV, work at jobs that require them to spend long hours sitting at a desk so they engage in virtually no physical movement at all on a daily basis. As a result, chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other life threatening diseases are being diagnosed - all related to lack of regular physical activity and premature death.

The human body was designed to be used and vigorous activity is critical for its health. In fact, the more you do the stronger and healthier your body gets. Activity gets everything moving, the blood, the oxygen, the nutrients delivered to the cells which need them to carry on the process of life. Movementis the root of health and without enough of it we head towards ill health and disease.

The risk of contracting these diseases can be lowered with changes in lifestyle, changes in diet and activity levels as we get older to help escape the spiral of inactivity. A proper exercise program that includes strength training exercise can prevent and even reverse muscle tissue loss throughout ones life. By subjecting our muscles and bones to adequate loads they will keep their strength and help protect us from killer "lifestyle diseases".

Strength training is the fastest way to improve muscle strength and endurance which allows a person to perform everyday tasks with less effort. Simply forcing the muscles to work on a regular basis significantly improves their capacity to work as well as someone 20 years younger and will bring life back into your body and keep it there.

Physical activity keeps us vibrant, youthful and alive and ensures we are strong enough to live our lives to the fullest. Everyone needs to make adjustments throughout their lives to ensure they give priority to an exercise or workout program as a protective measure to lower risk of disease. An added bonus is many other benefits including greatly improved functional capacity, a more independent lifestyle and a higher quality of life.

Carolyn Hansen has worked in the Fitness Industry for over 30 years. Currently the co-owner of 2 Fitness Centres in Northland New Zealand. A National Champion Bodybuilder with over 25 years competition experience. Enjoys writing health and fitness articles for local newspapers and magazines. If you want a second odds to right the wrongs you have committed against your body, you can be rejuventated. You can regain vitality, muscular strength, endurance and a higher quality of life. Go to http://www.over50looking30.com for a FREE Report "I've Found the Fountain of Youth"- Let Me Show You Too!