Build More Muscle to Improve Your Overall Health

Many people struggle to lose weight. They try every diet that comes along or starve themselves in the hope that taking in minimal calories will lead to weight loss. They work out when they can, but nothing seems to work. Many people ignore one of the most effective weight management tools available weight training. Any effective weight management strategy should include weight training in order to get the maximum benefits from all the hard work. Commitment to a well-designed, carefully performed weight training regimen can exponentially increase the weight loss benefit of every other action you take. Although, many people exercise for the weight loss benefits, there are many other less tangible benefits to adding a weight regimen, benefits that can last a lifetime, and greatly improve your health as you age.

The basic principle behind the effectiveness of weight training is that the more lean muscle tissue you have in your body the more calories you will burn even when your body is at rest. Muscle tissue can burn calories up to four times faster than fat tissue. In addition to burning more calories, adding muscle tissue can make you look leaner. A pound of muscle is denser than a pound of fat, so it takes up less space, and you will begin to lose inches.

You may not notice a weight loss right away because a pound of fat and a pound of muscle obviously both weigh a pound. Eventually though, converting fat tissue to muscle will help you lose weight, by increasing your calorie burning capability. As you add lean muscle every activity will burn more calories. Adding more muscle raises your basal metabolism rate, which means consistent weight training can help you burn more calories even while you sleep.

Although weight loss and a leaner look are important benefits of weight training, perhaps even more important are the less easily measured benefits such as increased strength and flexibility. Proper weight training tones and strengthens all your muscles causing your whole system to work more effectively, allowing you to endure longer workouts with less muscle soreness and fatigue. You will feel more energized and be more likely to stick to your workout schedule.

Weight training can help you reduce the natural effects of aging by lowering your resting heart rate and blood pressure. Consistently strengthening and toning your muscles makes you less prone to injuries and every day aches and pains. In particular, strengthening core body muscles can dramatically lessen back pain. Weight training can also improve your blood cholesterol profile, leading to less heart disease.

In addition, weight training can also improve balance and coordination, and can strengthen bones. These benefits, along with improved flexibility, can prove particularly beneficial as you age. Older adults who participate in age-appropriate weight training routines can strengthen their overall health. Seniors who exercise with weights often experience less arthritis pain, high blood pressure symptoms, and heart disease. They can improve bone strength, lessening the occurrence of osteoporosis and the frequent fractures that can result.

Weight training can be particularly worthwhile to women. Since women generally have a higher body fat percentage then men, it can be more difficult for women to lose weight. A proper weight-training program can be a real metabolism booster, and since women are particularly vulnerable to the bone loss that leads to osteoporosis, a weight regimen is essential. Weight training can improve PMS symptoms and make it easier for women to adjust to weight gained during pregnancy.

Women frequently avoid weight training for fear they will overdevelop their muscles. This cannot happen unless you are taking hormone supplements and devoting several hours a day to serious weightlifting. A moderate program two or three times a week, and adding ankle and hand weights to whatever cardiovascular workout you now perform, will simply strengthen and tone a woman's muscles and provide a fat burning jolt to your metabolism.

Adding weight training to your everyday routine can have an enormous cumulative benefit to many aspects of your life and health. Lifting weight and building lean muscle increases your metabolism and makes you stronger and allows you to exercise more. A longer more intense workout can lead you to add even more muscle tissue to your body, which will further increase your metabolism. Increasing your metabolism allows you to burn more calories during all daily activities, which will make it easier to lose weight. An improved metabolism rate and successful weight management can have long lasting effects on your overall health for many years. As you age you can retain more muscle mass, strength, and flexibility, and suffer fewer chronic health problems. Almost everyone is capable of some weight training exercises and it's never too late to start a weight routine and begin to improve your overall health.

Note: You should always consult a physician before beginning an exercise program

Sources:

http://weighttraining.about.com/od/benefitsofweighttraining/a/benefits_2.htm

http://life.familyeducation.com/weight-lifting/exercise/48807.html