As the years pass us by along with the wrinkles and gray hair we get stiff, lose our balance, and start to shrink and lose height. Our habits change over time, we become less active and stop participating in sports and other strenuous activities we used to enjoy. Simple things like climbing several flights of stairs or doing manual tasks become an effort and sometimes it hurts to move, so we don't. It feels like our body wants to rest but when we allow this to occur we are encouraging a dangerous downward spiral that conspires to speed up the aging process. We used to believe that this was the natural course of aging and could not be avoided. But now we know that many of the declines we experience as we grow older occur not because of the aging process itself, but as a result of not enough muscle strengthening and maintaining activity. The facts are the aging process itself has surprisingly little to do with weak, flabby inflexible muscles, bone loss, disease, stiff joints prone to injury and poor circulation. One of the most important self health and anti-aging goals should be to prevent the loss of precious muscle tissue, the prime factor for maintaining many important body functions, from blood sugar regulation, metabolism (the rate we burn fuel) mood control to immune system resilience. While just about any physical activity is good for you no matter what your age, strength training is the key exercise and the only one to combat loss of valuable muscle tissue. All adults regardless of age need to use their muscles regularly to keep them strong and firm and there is simply not enough of this activity in our modern lives anymore. Keeping your body strong delays many of the natural aging processes like muscle and bone loss, decreased metabolic rate, decreased energy and vitality and increased risk of disease. Adults who participate in a proper strength training program just 2-3 times each week have an easier time with their daily chores and activities, increase the years spent out of the 'disability zone' and experience less risk of chronic disease. Many people expect to land some dreadful disease as they get older but disease has absolutely nothing to do with the natural processes of aging. The long term accumulation of no proper exercise lifestyles and poor food choices has everything to do with it. But you are lucky you now know what you have to do so you do not lose your strength or muscle tone as you get older. As long as you continue to work your muscles on a regular basis they will continue working for you by keeping you youthful, strong and fit and with a much higher quality of life and living.
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