Having trouble getting motivated or reaching your goals? Strength training can be a useful tool for achieving success. There are many misconceptions surrounding strength training and, in this article, I will attempt to dispel some of those myths.

Strength training has endless benefits and should be used by everyone, from the old to the young. While anyone can pick up a weight, it’s important that they are given the proper guidance and instruction to avoid injury and maximize their results. People really need to want to change, not only their bodies, but their lives as well. Discovering the benefits of strength training can be a life changing event!

Becoming physically fit involves many different components, but the two main factors leading to a healthy body are a healthy diet and exercise. I will touch on the topic of strength training because I believe it is one of the foundations of good health. Most types of physical activity have benefits. Strength training, or anaerobic exercise, will help to support your bones and muscles for all activities. Cardiovascular, or aerobic, exercise is important, but needs to be supplemented with strength training.

 A good combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise is the best approach for losing weight and getting into shape. It’s common to see the same people at the gym doing the same aerobic workouts every day, but failing to incorporate strength training into their workouts. Not only will repetition of the same aerobic exercises become boring for people, but it will be more difficult for them to achieve results until they add weight training into their workout. Many people fail to realize that weight training is a big calorie burner and muscles use more energy, and take up less space, than fat.

Some people, especially women, have the fear that lifting weights will cause them to bulk up like a bodybuilder. Unless you’re a power lifter and perform extremely heavy workouts, this is far from the truth. Strength training shapes the body, unlike aerobic exercise which may reduce the size of the body, but will not change its shape.

Many people believe that they have to spend hours in the gym to get the results they want, but it should only take about 5 hours of aerobic and anaerobic exercise per week! When lifting weights it is important that you push yourself to your full potential. If you don’t, then you’re wasting your time. People will realize gains from weight lifting when they shock their muscles with high intensity, which causes the muscle fiber to break down and grow back bigger and stronger.

However, high intensity doesn’t mean blindly walking into the gym and lifting the heaviest weight, but instead, working out with slow controlled movements. To reach that high intensity level, I try to channel the feelings of stress and anger that everyone experiences in day-to-day life. If you can channel that energy into your workouts, you will become amazed at what you can accomplish. Channeling your negative energy into your workout will also help to manage stress.

Finally, it is also crucial that muscles are allowed to rest, because this is the period in which they grow. For that reason, I recommend that clients lift weights 2-3 times per week, and take rest days in between. Many people are unaware of their full capabilities. Weights may be an unfamiliar territory or even scary for some, but once they learn and see the benefits of strength training, they may become hooked! Pushing yourself to the limits and discovering your full potential can be one of the most rewarding experiences. Seeing your body make a positive transformation will only inspire you to continue.

Deb Klafter is an NSCA certified personal trainer with Believe Fitness. Deb specializes in weight loss management, sport-specific conditioning, strength training, TRX Suspension Training. You can reach
Deb at Believefitness08@yahoo.com

In the U.S., 10 million people have osteoporosis and 34 million more have low bone mass and therefore are at a high risk for this disease. Half of the women and one quarter of the men over the age of fifty will have an osteoporosis related fracture in their lifetime.

The World Health Organization established 4 diagnostic categories to identify various levels of bone density, comparative to young healthy individuals. The categories are: Normal, Osteopenia, Osteoporosis, and Established Osteoporosis.

Although over 2 million American men suffer from osteoporosis & many more are at risk, the most common form of this disease affects post menopausal women and often results in fractures of the hip, wrist or spine.

The 3 most significant factors contributing to post menopausal osteoporosis are believed to be:

1. Low levels of estrogen which associated with menopause, accelerates bone loss.

2. Insufficient amounts of calcium & vitamin D in the diet. Calcium is vital to the development & maintenance of strong bones and vitamin D is required to absorb calcium from the foods we eat.

3. Lack of physical activity (common among many adults today) is believed to contribute to lower bone density because the skeleton is not being taxed enough to stimulate new bone growth.

At this, time there is no known cure for osteoporosis. Estrogen drugs and calcium supplements may actually reverse bone loss, however their effectiveness diminishes over time.

The risks associated with hormone replacement therapy are now known & generally not recommended.

To prevent osteoporosis, it is recommended that we consume a diet rich in calcium and lead an active lifestyle. To develop the muscles that support the skeleton, include frequent weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, stair climbing, aerobic exercise and resistance training.

Lifestyle Changes That Can Help

1.Make weight-bearing exercise a part of your daily routine
Bones react to load by gradually growing stronger & denser.

2.Quit smoking and reduce your risk for osteoporosis & most other diseases.

3.Reduce soft drink consumption. The phosphorus in soft drinks appears to have a detrimental effect on bone tissue. Colas & beverages with caffeine & phosphorus appear to cause bone resorption (a problem for children & adults).

4.Be sure to get your daily dose of calcium (1200-1500 mg/day after age 50) and vitamin D. Both nutrients are necessary to build & maintain bone tissue.

5.See your doctor for a bone density test, after age 50.

Why Exercise is So Important for Preventing Osteoporosis

Our bones are living, growing tissue that respond to weight-bearing exercise by growing denser & stronger, similar to the way our muscles react to exercise. Younger active people produce more new bone tissue than they lose, therefore bone density increases. Generally we achieve maximum bone density & strength (peak bone mass) around the age of  30.

Bone density gradually begins to decline as we age and become less active. For women, bone loss is usually most rapid during the first few years after menopause. We now know that exercise, diet & minor lifestyle changes can slow & even reverse the bone loss that usually occurs as we age.

If you would like to reduce your risk of osteoporosis, increase your bone density and slow or reverse the normal bone loss associated with aging, Believe Fitness can help you get started.

Believe Fitness has an Osteoporosis Exercise program for you regardless of your age or fitness level.