"If movement were a pill, it would be the most commonly prescribed drug."
I don't know who uttered this sentence, but we would probably find a number of experts from several fields who would clearly agree. In general, current movement is woefully low compared to the past. And there is plenty of food (at least in our region), highly processed, high-calorie and easily available. And that's definitely not an ideal combination. Attention, at the outset I must point out that we are talking about a healthy population here, not people with an eating disorder.
Movement as such should be a completely natural part of our lives in today's sedentary age, like brushing our teeth. First of all, we should choose a movement that we would enjoy. Also to think sensibly and include such movement that is beneficial for us and will represent the greatest possible health benefit and prevention of various health problems in the future. I keep saying, various health complications are not caused by age, but by the lifestyle we lead and its consequences.
I dare to say that strengthening is irreplaceable and brings many advantages compared to any other physical activities. All this provided that it is done correctly. We discussed the most common training mistakes in the previous article , 8 most common training mistakes.
If it happens that weight training is not right for you and you cannot include it in your program at least twice a week, try combining it with other sports that you tend to do. Why? In the following lines you will find several convincing reasons:
- increases the basal metabolism and thus fat burning occurs not only during training, but also several hours or days after it (resting metabolism remains elevated up to 38 hours after strength training, this does not occur in the case of cardio)
- burns more calories in the long term than aerobic activity
- thanks to its effects, you can more easily maintain weight loss results (higher proportion of muscle mass)
- shapes the figure into the desired curves
- improves strength, movement control, functionality, cognitive abilities, mental health, self-confidence
- provides energy and vitality
- releases endorphins (good mood, satisfaction)
- strengthens bones and joints
- reduces the risk of injury during sports
- acts as a prevention of type 2 diabetes
- acts as a prevention of osteoporosis
- reduces the production of inflammatory cells and cardiovascular inflammation
- improves blood pressure values
- improves the overall quality of life
- builds discipline, purposefulness,...
And in this way we could continue, go into details and write at least once such a long list of various advantages. I believe that you will agree with me when I write that investing energy, time and yes even money in strengthening is the most responsible thing for your health. Our future self will surely thank us and repay us. Otherwise, there is a big risk that we will later be forced to spend energy, time and money on solving various health problems, psychological, but also socio-economic impacts, which long-term neglect will certainly bring with it over time.
Remember: “What you do today determines how you will live tomorrow! "
