12 Reasons to Lift Weights in 2012

Even if you’re not trying to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger  it does not mean you should be skipping the weights while working out. Strength training with weights helps rid you of body fat, reduce stress, heart disease and cancer.  Not only that, but strength training also helps strengthen the muscles surrounding the spine helping hold adjustments and keeping the spine aligned. It’s extremely important to strengthen the back muscles to help support a healthy back and nervous system.

Here are the Top 12 reasons why you should strength train!

1)      You’ll lose 40 percent more fat.  Penn State put dieters into three groups: no exercise, aerobic exercise only, or anaerobic exercise and weight training, all groups lost around 21 pounds but the weight lifters lost six more pounds than those who didn’t! Excluding weight lifting causes you to lose fat and muscle which may drop your weight but doesn’t improve your appearance and you are more likely to gain fat back that you lost.

2)      Your clothes fit better. If you neglect weight training, it causes a waist increase by replacing your lost muscle tissue with added fat. One more pound of fat takes up 18 percent more space than one pound of muscle.

3)      You get a better burn. Lifting weights burns more calories than aerobic activity and also burns more calories after you workout by repairing the muscle tissue.

4)      Your Diet Improves. Regular exercise helps you stay on track with your daily intake. A study showed adults who didn’t follow an exercise plan ate more calories.

5)      You manage stress better. Scientists have determined that the fittest people show lower stress hormones than those who are less fit.

6)      You smile more.  Lifting weights three times a week has been proven to significantly improve their measures of anger and mood overall.

7)      You strengthen your BONES. As we know aging takes a toll on your bone density increasing your risk for osteoporosis and a bone fracture.

8)      You still improve cardiovascular health. Lifting weights in a circuit style raises your heart rate 15 beats per minute higher than if you ran at 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate and provides similar cardiovascular benefits to aerobic exercise.

9)      Your heart is healthier. Studies have proven that those who did three full body workouts a week for two months decreased their diastolic blood pressure, which reduces your risk for stroke and heart attack.

10)    Increase your productivity.  Workers who were 15 percent more productive on days they exercise than the days they didn’t.  Who doesn’t need a little more efficiency at work?

11)   You live longer.  Total body strength is linked to lower risks of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

12)   You become smarter. Who would have thought it was possible for you to become even smarter? Weight training increases cognitive function, resulting in better short and long term memory, improved verbal reasoning, and a longer attention span.

If you have any questions, please e-mail me at info@alignwc.com.  We provide pain management, rehabilitation, injury prevention, and wellness programs for Chicago and the northern suburbs of Chicago including Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, Glencoe, and Glenview as part of a chiropractic wellness program.  To learn more about the office visit http://www.alignwc.com.