Everyone enjoys a particular style of exercise, it could be bike riding, yoga, swimming, etc, but which ever style of exercise you enjoy make sure it involves strength training.

10 Reasons to Love Strength Training 

1. Strength training keeps muscle mass when you are losing weight.

During weight loss, from dieting, 25 to 30 percent of weight loss is muscle.  The only way to preserve and build the muscle while burning fat is thru strength training.

2. Strength training raises your metabolism.

The more muscles you have the higher your metabolism.  After the age of 25, you lose a half a pound of muscle every year, and after the age of 60 that doubles.  This is the reason for more weight gain as you age, but strength training prevents this from happening.

3. Strength training helps you more easily lose weight (or eat more without gaining weight).

Having a good muscle build raises your metabolism. Muscles raises your metabolism by up to 15%.  The muscles in your body needs to be maintained and they are maintained by using energy, ie. calories.  So a body with more muscles burn more calories, hence the higher metabolism.  Higher metabolism means the extra food that you eat will be more readily burned off versus a body without muscles it will be stored as fat.

4. Strength training increases bone density.

After the age of 40, a individual will lose 1% of bone density per year, due to inactivity and nutrient inadequacy. But studies has been shown that strength training has stopped the bone loss and even increases bone density.

5. Strength training counteracts depression.

In a study published in JAMA Psychiatry more that 1,800 people were involved in clinical trials involving the affects of resistance training on depression.  They found that people with mild to moderate depression who performed resistance training two or more days a week saw significant reduction in their symptoms.

6. Strength training reduces sleep difficulties. 

When you are building muscles, the body recovers during sleep. Therefore you will sleep quicker and have deeper sleep because the muscles are recovering from the strength training.

7. Strength training reduces your risk of diabetes. 

Strength training lowers your chances of diabetes. The body needs the sugar in your blood to supply the body with energy while strength training. Your body will naturally secrete insulin to break down the sugar and provide to the muscles. You will no longer be in need of those insulin shots.

8. Strength training lowers your blood pressure.

When you strength train the heart becomes stronger.  When your heart is stronger, it does not have to work as hard to pump blood, so it puts less stress on your arteries which lowers your blood pressure.

9. Strength training helps you age better.

We naturally loss muscle mass as we get older, this causes the skin to sag and make us look older.  But you can reverse this by strength training by growing your muscles, it will help keep your skin tight and you will age gracefully.

10. Strength training improves your quality of life.

The muscles that you build from strength training will improve your life by being to carry heavier things more easily, being more agile and flexible, and having a lot more energy when doing physical activities.  Strength training will give you more confidence from looking better, and will also greatly help with your posture causing you to stand up straighter.  When you have more self esteem, you will conquer the world with a smile on your face!