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Our ancestors did not have the health problems that go with a sedentary life; they had to work hard on a daily basis to survive. They stayed strong and healthy through continuous, vigorous outdoor work: chopping, digging, tilling, planting, running, hunting, and all their other daily activities. But with the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, machines began to do the work once done by hand. As people became less and less active, they began to lose strength and the instinct for natural physical movement. Machines have obviously made life easier, but they have also created serious health problems. While once we were almost continuously active, we now spend much of our lives sitting or performing other low intensity activities. Computers, TV, video games and the internet have made us even more sedentary. And that's the way we have become used to living. It has changed our whole culture, and while it is great to have computers, TVs, washing machines and cars, there is a downside too, as being sedentary has become a way of life. What you may not know is that these kinds of inactive lifestyles that more and more people are leading can and do actually bring about an early demise. Research has shown that a great deal of ill health is directly related to lack of physical activity with about 35 unhealthful conditions linked back to inactivity and sedentary lifestyles. Awareness of this fact, along with fuller knowledge that health is something we can control, and we can prevent poor health and disease, is changing lifestyles. We are no longer content to sit, stagnate and get older far quicker than we need too. Now we are getting moving, rediscovering the joys of an active, healthy life. What's more, we can resume a more healthy and rewarding existence at any age simply by adding a proper exercise program into our lives. This program should contain a least 60% strength training exercise. Often people say "Isn't walking enough. I walk three miles a day?" or "I get enough exercise doing chores around the house." Although these activities provide some physical benefit, they do not replace the benefits derived from strength training. Keep in mind that after the age of 30 we lose approximately 1 percent of muscle mass each year if we are not strength training. That loss of muscle greatly compromises our skeletal system, strength and ability to remain mobile. Strength training is essential to maintaining a strong body right throughout adulthood. It slows, if not reverses, the aging process by helping to maintain muscle mass that supports the skeleton and keeps bones and joints strong. Some of the benefits you will enjoy from your strength training program are more energy; greater strength and flexibility, reduced stress and a saner, happier self. Studies have shown over and over again that active people lead fuller lives, have more stamina, resist illness, and stay slim and trim. They have more self-confidence, are less depressed, and often, even later on in life, are still working energetically at new careers and projects. The current enthusiasm for movement and exercise is not a fad. We now realize that the only way to prevent the diseases, illnesses and conditions of inactivity is to remain active - not just for a month, or a year, but for a lifetime.
Do you want to discover the secret to rejuvenating your body and improving the quality of your life? Download my free ebook "I've Found the Fountain of Youth- Let Me Show You Too!" here: Reverse Aging or come visit me at Fitness Weight Loss
Carolyn Hansen is a certified fitness expert and fitness center owner who coaches clients to look and feel younger.
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