First, and the most obvious benefit: strength training is essential to avoid reduced mobility that can lead to age-related sarcopenia , or muscle loss that occurs gradually from the age of 30, and for women can be accelerated during perimenopause, where we can lose up to 10 percent of our appendicular muscle mass (during this transition alone).
Lower muscle mass decreases our functional capacity, increases our risk of falls, and decreases our quality of life. Weaker muscles also make it harder to have strength, reducing power and energy for aerobic exercise and everyday activities.
Hormonal levels decrease during menopause, which causes muscle mass to be lost, which will lead to a reduction in metabolism (fat gain occurs more quickly), increased risk of fractures, loss of self-esteem and empowerment in general:
You feel reflected in it.
These are the most obvious benefits of strength or resistance exercise.
What other benefits does it bring us?
Cardiovascular system
A 2022 study concluded that any strength training reduces cardiovascular disease mortality by 19%. And a 2019 study of more than 12,500 participants reported that those who did at least one hour of strength training per week had a 40% to 70% decrease in the risk of cardiovascular disease such as a heart attack or stroke, regardless of how much aerobic exercise they did.
Strength training can reduce resting blood pressure in healthy adults, as well as those with prehypertension, hypertension, and high cardiometabolic risk. In fact, evidence suggests that strength training produces improvements in resting systolic blood pressure in a manner similar to antihypertensive medications.
Strength training has a favorable, albeit modest, beneficial impact on total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. It can help improve body composition and slow or prevent weight gain over time by increasing or maintaining muscle mass, reducing fat stores, and increasing resting metabolic rate. It also contributes to improved cardiorespiratory fitness.
Metabolic health
Strength training significantly improves insulin sensitivity, which makes it easier to manage blood sugar, reducing the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes. One study conducted with people with type 2 diabetes has shown that strength training is an effective strategy for reducing HbA1c, a marker of average blood glucose levels over the past two to three months.
Regular strength training is associated with a 17 percent lower incidence of diabetes compared to no strength training.
Health and longevity in general
There is a growing body of research on all the ways strength training is good for a handful of reasons related to health and longevity. Some highlights include:
Cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 studies showed that, compared with not doing any strength training, not doing any strength training was associated with a 14% decrease in cancer mortality.
Brain health: Strength training triggers a cascade of muscle proteins that help create new connections in the brain. It also stimulates the release of a hormone called irisin (named after the Goddess Iris, so it's called the Goddess hormone) that improves brain function and health.
Longevity: About 60 minutes of strength training per week has been shown to be associated with a reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality of up to 27 percent.
And if we focus on women...
Women need to be vigilant about maintaining our bone health, as we can lose up to 20% of our bone mass in certain places in the years leading up to and around menopause, and between 35% and 50% of women have low bone mass by age 50. Strength training is essential to support strong bone density.
It also regulates our blood sugar, so our hormones and insulin resistance are strongly linked to it.
Finally, strength training is very good for building a better body image perception, something that many women (and men!) can benefit from!
So you know, let's get strong so we can raise your grandchildren when we are "grandparents"!
A big hug. And have a good week.