Lift Weight For Longevity
National Public Radio started a special series this year called, How to Thrive as You Age: the Science and Secrets of Longevity. The first episode aired January 29th and focused on a series of tests that can give us insight into our "Healthspan." I wrote about it here.
The most recent installment, Women Who Do Strength Training Love Longer. How Much is Enough?, explores a recent study of 40,000 women that found a causal link between strength training and a 30% reduction in cardiovascular mortality. This is remarkable considering that heart disease is the leading cause of death if U.S. women. According to one of the lead authors of the study, â"We were incredibly impressed by the finding," says study author Martha Gulati, who is also the director of preventive cardiology at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles. "We don't have many things that reduce mortality in that way."
That is impressive! A 30% reduction in risk is significant and it doesn't take much for women to see the immediate benefit. According to the study:
"women who do strength training exercises two to three days a week are more likely to live longer and have a lower risk of death from heart disease, compared to women who do none."
Share this information with your mom, your sisters, your aunties, your daughters and all of the women in your life!
According to the NPR article, there are other benefits to strength training that have a synergistic improvement of lifespan and healthspan. They are 1. Strength training helps protect joints. 2. Building muscle burns more calories 3. Resistance training protects against injuries and falls 4. Strength training helps control blood sugar 5. Muscle building may help boost mood All of you at True Spirit can rest easy knowing you are making a difference in your health. However, we have a long way to go to convince the women in our lives that lifting weights is good for them, too. According to the study, of the 40,000 people in the study, only 1 in 5 women had a regular strength training program. That's only 20% of the women in the study!Clearly we need to spread this message far and wide. âYou can read the article here or listen to it below. I encourage you to forward this blog or the link to this article to all the women you know!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Special EventsRecord your WOD on Beyond the Whiteboard.
Do you need CrossFit or yoga gear? Click on the links below to buy through our GORUCK, Reebok, Rogue or Affiliate share sale programs. These are affiliate links and our gym will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links.
Check out our Flickr page!
Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|