Why Adults Could Use More Muscle

Most men and women as they reach their senior years don't even consider doing strength training. Most look at resistance training as something for young people, and as they get older walking and other sorts of aerobics are something they feel they can handle better. The problem with light aerobics like walking is it will not preserve muscle tone, good balance, healthy bones and posture as you age. No matter what our age, we all need some sort of resistance training.

Of course nothing really matters without a healthy diet. It's said that diet accounts for about 80% of any health benefits you expect to reap, but exercise is a crucial component. In fact it's thought that strength training acts as a force multiplier in enhancing the benefits of a healthy diet.

John Turner Aged 67 Years Old photographed by Etta Clark

Americans over the age of 45 seldom do strength training exercises. According to a recent survey fewer than 25% of Americans do any strength training at all, and this of course drops the older we get. The people least likely to meet strength training recommendations by the government are women, especially widows, seniors over 85 years' old and obese people. None of these categories probably are very surprising but these people are at an especially higher risk factor than most.

The following are a few factors that are reasons why strength training is essential:

1. Muscle atrophy must be stopped. The older you get the faster your muscles break down. This process actually begins in a person's 20s if they lead a sedentary life, and after the age of 50 the atrophy will accelerate, with people losing almost a half a pound a year if nothing is done.

2. The necessity of a proper diet. To prevent diabetes and obesity a low carbohydrate diet is necessary. But it's commonly thought that when we begin working out we have to replace those carbs with protein, and sometimes low-quality protein. A high-protein diet can lead to weight gain, higher blood sugar levels, and kidney stress and cancer growth. Actually, for most people 40 to 70 grams of protein a day will be ample. Rather than replace those lost carbs with protein, replace them with healthy fats.

3. When you take your protein is important. With that in mind, it is still an important to feed the muscles the proper fuel, and that will be protein. But to build muscle will require taking it within an hour or so of exercise. An excellent source of protein is whey protein, and it is a great post exercise meal for increasing muscle growth.

Strength training does not have to necessarily be pumping iron, as trying to overdo heavy lifting often leads to injury, causing more harm than good. Practical applications of strength training are yoga, body weight exercises, elastic bands that provide safe resistance training and lighter varieties of free weights. Weight machines are also okay, but they don't provide as much help for the core muscles, where we get most of our balance and flexibility. Pilates are also an excellent option.

There are many things we can do to help us become healthier and to age better, and exercise is certainly a big part of it. Seniors are now getting more into yoga and other exercises such as Pilates to keep young. Rich Carroll is a writer and avid health advocate now living in Chicago.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Rich_Carroll/1009184

Photo of John Turner aged 67 by Etta Clark www.ettaclark.com

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Weight Training For Fat Loss - For More Than Just Your Appearance

I have been a fitness buff for over 30 years, and during that span, I have spent a considerable amount of time in gyms, lifting weights. One thing that has always stood out for me is that, for the most part, except for one or two other people, I'm usually alone with the weights. In the other room, the room that contains the treadmills, ellipticals, and the stationary bicycles, it's a battle to get your time in. Nobody wants to take part in weight training for fat loss, they'd rather just jump on a treadmill for a few minutes and then be on their way.

These people are missing the boat, and I hope that's not the case with you. It has been an accepted fact in the fitness world for many years that resistance training, or weight training for fat loss, is essential for weight loss and fat reduction. Doing an aerobic exercise, even every day, benefits you only temporarily. You burn the calories while performing your exercise, and then it stops there. Weight training for fat loss, where you firm up your body or actually pack on muscle, works to your benefit in several different ways. It's not just about your appearance.

In order for your body to carry out its daily functions, operating your circulatory, digestive, and respiratory systems to name a few, your body will take your food and turn it into energy, or fuel, in order to do its business. In order to perform these functions, it will burn a minimum number of calories, even if you do pretty much nothing on a particular day. In order to lose weight, you either need to burn more calories than you take in or take in fewer calories than your body burns. It is a numbers game. And you know how many calories you can burn up doing an aerobic exercise, or have a good idea, so how would weight training for fat loss benefit you?

The rate at which you burn calories will depend on many different variables, your level of activity and your size, to name a few. But let's use 2,500 calories as an example. At your fitness level at this moment, we will say that you burn 2,500 calories a day just existing. To lose weight, you do one of two things. You burn more than 2,500 calories through activity or you eat less than that amount of calories. I will assume you have tweaked your diet to the point that you are doing all you can in that department. So let's look at exercise, aerobic versus weight training for fat loss.

You spend half an hour on a stationary bicycle and you burn up 300 calories. So when looking at your 2,500 calories that you body uses, you can do one of two things. You can subtract the 300 and, if you do this every day for about two weeks, you will lose a pound. Or you can eat 300 calories more the day that you do the bicycle and not gain any weight.

So what about weight training for fat loss? You do resistance training for 45 minutes and burn the same 300 calories. It may sound the same, but in reality, you have made a permanent change in your body composition that will effect the numbers over time. You have ever so slightly changed the makeup of your body, transforming fat into muscle. A body that contains muscle as opposed to fat will burn calories faster, even when you are doing nothing. A person that takes part in weight training for fat loss will burn calories at a much higher level than a person who does just aerobic exercises. And that applies 24 hours a day. So even when you sleep, your body will burn calories at a higher rate. That's right, even when you sleep.

Muscle takes up less space than fat, giving you a smaller, leaner look. 

And because your body will now be using more calories every day to perform its duties, you will either lose weight at a faster rate or you can actually eat more. So if you are not happy with the results you are seeing from your current fitness program, consider weight training for fat loss. There's always plenty of space in the weight room for one more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Nick_Robertson/529556

Fat and Muscle Photo credit: Cloudfront.net

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Weight and Metabolism - The Crucial Link

There is a lot written about the importance of the metabolism. There is also a lot of misunderstanding about what it is and what it does. To be able to lose weight and maintain your weight loss, there are one or two very basic facts about the metabolism that it would be good for you to know. They are not the least complicated, but once you know what they are, you will be able to run your life, as far as your weight is concerned, much more efficiently. 

Weight and Metabolism - The Crucial Link

The metabolism is a biomechanical process that breaks down food and turns it into energy. Your 'metabolic rate' is the rate at which your body converts your stores of energy into 'working energy'.

What is important to you if you want to lose weight is to make your metabolism work as efficiently as possible. It obviously depends on what you eat and drink, on the calories you consume. Your metabolic rate depends on the amount of exercise you take and on the amount of muscle mass you have. Muscle mass is important because muscle burns calories. The more you have, the more efficient you will be at burning calories. It's interesting to note that your muscle mass deteriorates at the rate of 0.5 per cent every year over the age of 40. You can combat this by doing regular resistance exercises and help to keep your metabolism healthy.

The other thing your metabolism needs to work efficiently is water. Water is needed to drive the metabolism's chemical reactions. If you don't drink enough water your metabolism will not be helping you to lose weight.

There is a crucial link between weight and your metabolism. If you compromise your metabolism you will find it very difficult to lose weight, far less maintain your weight at the right level.

Exercise is an important factor as is keeping yourself properly hydrated. Having a good diet that contains lots of fresh fruit and vegetables that give you the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs is important to. Look after your metabolism and keep it functioning well and your weight will cease to be a worry.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Christine_King/400515

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