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Many people plan financially for the future to make sure their needs will be taken care of when they are no longer working. They also write a will to make sure their children's needs will be looked after and even pay professionals to make sure it is done correctly But where is the future planning or preparation for something way more important and valuable than money or possessions – your health, strength, fitness and wellness? What we do each and every single day (or don't do) can benefit our wellness or hinder and impact on our health later on in life and even well before then. Unfortunately, so many of us focus so much on the present, just getting through a busy day, or just getting through the week and maintaining the status quo we don't even consider how our exercise decisions will affect us down the road. The most dramatic declines you will experience as you get older are in muscle and bone strength which begins to be lost in the mid 20s. Unless you work hard to keep it - you lose around one half a pound of muscle tissue each year. This dramatic change in body composition (muscle/fat ratio) not only saps our strength and energy; it also lowers our metabolism (our body's engine) and exposes us to greater risk of age-related disease. In fact, the loss of muscle tissue along with a usual increase in body fat puts an extra burden on the heart, alters blood sugar metabolism (increasing diabetes risk), and can tip the balance of healthy lipids (fats) in the blood, leading to heart attack and stroke. If left unattended, strength continues to decrease at an even accelerated rate after age 50, leaving in its wake weakness and disability. This can make the last 15-20 years of ones life much less enjoyable as mobility, physical function and finally independence is surrendered. This is how you end up in a nursing home with somebody having to feed and dress you and is not how the human body was meant to end up. Yet, all we worry about is our money. But what use is money if we end up on the scrap heap well before our time? You need to look after your wellness. This is a new term that means great health and involves being strong, fit, energetic and resistant to disease no matter your age. It is stepping it up a notch and taking responsibility to achieve a much higher level of health rather than simply 'not being sick'. Your wellness is something worthy of the time and effort that you should be investing each day in preparation for your future health well before you become 'old'. This time involves proper exercising and eating high quality food with a minimum of processed food sold in pretty boxes with little to no nutritional value whatsoever. To rebuild the lost strength, strength training exercise is the only exercise that can substantially slow or even reverse the decline in muscle mass, bone density and strength.
As many as two or more decades of strength loss can be reversed after engaging in strength training for at least two months. And all you have to do is turn up and put a bit of effort into doing it. Your investment of 2-3 sessions each week will go a long way to protecting your life both immediately and in the future.
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: Physical Wellness For Free Fitness Report here 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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