5 Important Benefits of Strength Training After the Age of 30

Muscles are vital pieces of soft tissue, and over 600 constantly work in your body. These voluntary and involuntary muscles work in three types (cardiac, skeletal, and smooth) to help with everything you do. Each has numerous small, flexible fibers that perform countless actions, including blinking, hearing, breathing, swallowing, speaking, digesting, moving, circulating blood, and giving birth.

Muscles animate the bones, tissue, and organs we need to live, but they aren’t immune to the effects of aging. Like everything else in our bodies, muscles change over time, and as we age, they lose mass and strength. Maintaining muscular health benefits the whole body, and after age 30, strength training effectively helps to preserve it. 

Dr. Joseph Daniels and his Southwest Orthopedic Associates staff dedicate themselves to helping people in the Fort Worth, Texas, area deal with musculoskeletal changes that come with aging and many other problems.

Changes in the muscles as you get older

Losing muscle due to aging is referred to as sarcopenia, and this form of muscle atrophy happens due to a combination of inaction and unhealthy eating, which leaves the body less able to perform numerous routine actions and potentially leads to assisted care in the elderly. You naturally begin to lose muscle starting as early as your 30s. Without any changes to your lifestyle, or if injuries hinder movement, once you reach your 60s and older, the effects of muscle atrophy become more apparent and severe. 

Other risk factors for muscle loss besides physical inactivity include obesity, chronic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, insulin resistance, reduced hormone levels, malnourishment, and the loss of nerves that tell brain cells to move muscles.

How exercise helps

Weight gain is the most common effect of inactivity and bad diets, and staying physically active throughout the years provides an excellent boost for the whole body. It can help whether you’re doing intense exercises or sticking to a daily regimen that gets you on your feet. No matter how old you are, staying active helps reduce the impact of arthritis on joints and osteoporosis and helps lower blood pressure. 

Benefits of strength training

Contrary to what the name implies, strength training isn’t just the weightlifting you see people do in the gym. Resistance training is a significant part of the process, where you use a variety of isometric and isotonic exercises, including wall sits, a plank, push-ups, and squats. There are ways to work more physical activity into everything you do, and strength training provides your body with many advantages as you get older: 

1. Stronger bones

Keeping muscle and bone healthy is vital, and strength training helps both. Keeping the joints and bones in better shape reduces the impact of problems like osteoporosis and arthritis, which can limit one's ability to move.

2. Improving your mood

Studies show that a healthier lifestyle that includes strength training gives people better self-esteem, which can help with dealing with depression and complement cognitive behavioral therapy.

3. Healthy muscles

Building muscles through these exercises keeps them healthier as you get older, preventing you from losing as much muscle mass over time. This reduces issues with sarcopenia and lowers your risk of falling.

4. Longer life

Strength training also keeps your cardiovascular system healthy by improving blood flow, lowering your risk of heart disease, which is more common in older people. These exercises can add years by lowering your chances of several medical problems.

5. Keeping a healthy weight

Obesity is a significant risk factor for many diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. Strength training and other exercises keep your weight under control and help you avoid the complications of these conditions.

Your muscles may start naturally slowing down in your 30s, but you can control how well your body functions as you age with exercise regimens like strength training. Contact Dr. Daniels and the Southwest Orthopedic Associates team today to find the training routine that fits your needs.