The Importance of Resistance Training

Whether you are new to exercise or whether you’re an accomplished athlete, one of the most important ways to train your body is

through resistance training. Resistance training, muscle strengthening, or strength training are all common terms used to describe

types of exercises that help to build lean body mass. In order to properly train your body - and in order to see results like muscle

toning, increased metabolism, increased bone density, and weight loss - incorporating some form of resistance training into your

weekly exercise routine is essential.

The Benefits of Resistance Training

Resistance training is any exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance like weighted barbells,

dumbbells, exercise tubing, or your own body weight. Although resistance training has been recorded to exist for centuries, it was

not until the 1970s that it gained popularity. Recently, there has been tremendous scientific research promoting resistance training

and the corresponding overall health benefits. That same research has also taken away some of the common misperceptions

associated with resistance training. Contrary to some belief, resistance training will not make you bulky or big. In fact, resistance

training is the key to:

Weight Loss and Increased Muscle Tone

It is a hard truth, but muscle mass - your body’s natural defense against fat - diminishes with age. It has been reported that the

average adult will gain as many as 10 pounds every decade without ever increasing their caloric intake. According to Edward

Laskowski, M.D, a rehabilitation specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, “If you don’t do anything to replace the lean

muscle you lose, you’ll increase the percentage of fat in your body. But strength training can help you preserve and enhance your

muscle mass…at any age.”

Developing Strong Bones

As we age, the minerals that compose our bones begin to deteriorate. Research has shown that resistance training helps to

build tissue and support around the bones, in addition to increasing bone density and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.

Postmenopausal women are especially prone to bone loss because they lack estrogen needed to keep bones healthy. According

to Keeton, a research study by Ontario’s McMaster University, women increased their bone mass by nine percent after a

year-long strength training program. Alternatively, women who did not participate in strength training experienced a decrease in

bone density.

Increasing Metabolism

As you gain muscle, your body burns calories more efficiently and reduces fat mass. Research has shown that this not only

leads to weight loss, but can also make it easier to control your weight over time. This is because lean muscle mass has a

higher energy requirement on your body – you burn more calories even when your body is at rest.

Improving Endurance and Reducing Injury

As you get stronger, your body will not fatigue or tire as quickly. Since our muscles act as shock absorbers, building muscle can

protect your joints from injury. Stronger muscles also lead to improved balance. Less fatigue, less injury, and better balance add

up to increased longevity because of the increased activity level that will be possible as you age.

Where to start

One of the hardest parts of incorporating a strength training program into your life is knowing where to start. In addition, knowing

what and how often to lift, coupled with proper exercise technique can prevent you from feeling successful and seeing results.

Group Fitness classes offer effective, often less intimidating, and arguably more fun ways to experience resistance training and

keep you motivated.

Attending a class like Group Power® or Group Active® is a great place to start. Group Power is a 60-minute barbell program

designed to strengthen all your major muscles. In addition to having a qualified instructor help you perform the exercises correctly,

the movements in Group Power are simple and athletic. Group Active is a 60-minute class incorporating all of the elements

of fitness: cardio, balance, flexibility and strength. Group Active strengthens the muscles of the upper body using adjustable

dumbbells and the lower body using body weight

Because Group Power and Group Active incorporate adjustable weights, they are appropriate for all ages and fitness levels no

matter your level of experience. Not only are they an effective way to train your muscles, they are also time efficient. In just two to

three hours a week, you can experience a full body workout that includes all the benefits of resistance training.

The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association now jointly recommend a minimum of

twice-weekly strength training sessions, in addition to moderate or intense cardiovascular activity. There are many benefits of

resistance training, and perhaps the most accessible is that it can help you lose weight and keep your body strong. No matter

what your strength training goals might be, it is never too late to start some form of resistance training. Getting involved in a regular

strength training program is essential to keep you healthy, and leaner, for longer!

Courtesy of The Biggest Mover

We will only be here once, make the most of it!!!

Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of their thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.

I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It's OK to stumble - I will get up. It's OK to fail - I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.

I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.

Today I will make a difference.

Max Lucado

By: Scott Williams

Recently I decided to go back to the gym. Before I was married and before I had my first child I used to train every day, but my life has changed and I have a very different set of priorities.

Now as I am getting on in age I thought that it was about time that I tried to get that body back.

So the day came when I started back. I pushed, grunted and groaned. By the time I was finished I actually feeling quite good. I was well and truly on my way to get the body of Adonis. Then came the next morning, man was I sore? My body was aching all over. But I was not going to let that stop me. I realised that the pain that I was feeling was a direct result of me pushing past my old limits.

This is the same when going through life and aiming for a greater level of success. It is a guarantee that you will experience some pain. In reality, if you don’t then are you really pushing yourself beyond your past attempts?

You see everyone at some point in time will experience the pain that is associated with personal growth.

Be prepared for some type of discomfort of pain along the way to achieving your successes. Too many people think that everything is going to go smoothly and get a rude awakening when the hit a hurdle.

You see, you are going to have to stretch yourself, do things that you have never attempted before and maybe even separate yourself from friends and attitudes just to get to where you want to go.

That being the case, you don’t seriously think that you can go through all of that without feeling some type of mental or personal discomfort do you?

The good news is, is that pain (sometimes only very short pain) will go away and you will end up a better and stronger person for it.

As a young child many of us experienced growing pains. It is the same example with growing into your goals.

The reason you don’t have those goals now is because you have yet to go through things that will bring you closer to them.

If I want my muscles to grow then they are going to be stretched and pushed beyond their normal limits.

The same goes for you and your journey. You need to push yourself way past what you have experienced and attempted in the past. When you do, you will find it a bit uncomfortable. But don’t give up and throw in the towel; this is all part of the growing process.

The problem is that many people give up when they start to get uncomfortable in their personal growth.

Make sure you don’t avoid the pain by limiting your growth. All that will happen then is you will remain in the same position or area of your life for the rest of your life.

A little pain goes a long way.

Don’t give up because you don’t want to face those changes. Face them head on and watch yourself grow and remember that gain is gain!

The Alive! Team