Fitness Training – 10 Reasons Why It is Important

Fitness Training – 10 Reasons Why It is Important

As a Fitness Trainer in Scottsdale, Arizona, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing the physical and mental changes in my clients as they improve their health through regular strength-training. First and foremost, all of them report feeling better physically as their muscles respond to my fitness programs. What they may not realize is that when blood is pumping during the exercises, nutrients and oxygen are flowing through their body, including the brain, which is why they report feeling so much better.

When I add a healthy, nutritious meal plan of lean protein sources, fresh fruits and vegetables, with whole grains, they quickly see that eating healthy enhances their strength training and is the quickest way to get amazing results.  Almost immediately, my clients notice how much better their body functions from the inside out. Strength training is not just for bodybuilders and muscle-bound men and women that you may see on television or in the movies.  Walking, running, aerobics, or swimming is excellent cardiovascular workouts, but they are not enough to get in great shape. For example, dumbbells offer a wide range of exercises that allow you to train one side of your body at a time that is excellent for alleviating any strength imbalances you may have developed.  Holding each dumbbell forces you to use your core muscles and strengthening them in the process.

The old adage is true, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” And that is definitely true for muscles because they need to be worked, flexed, and contracted in order to remain healthy and strong. When strength-training is done on a regular basis, the whole body responds with healthy benefits.  Here are the top 10 benefits of strength-training:

1. Lose Weight – the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn just sitting here reading this blog.
2. Prevents Osteoporosis – strength training helps build stronger bones supporting the entire body as you get older. Lifting weights will go a long way in helping to prevent falls, especially in the elderly.
3. More Energy – strength training builds stamina and as a result, helps prevent fatigue.
4. Internal Organs Function Better – supporting lean muscle tissue helps support the function or all the internal organs through improved blood circulation, oxygen flow, and better digestion.
5. Muscles Cushion the Joints – this can reduce the chance of injury when doing physical and everyday activities.
6. Helps Prevent Diabetes – a disease of insulin, the hormone that the pancreas produces to help the body use sugar (glucose) from carbohydrates in food. You don’t want to store sugar, you want the body to use it. Strength training has been shown to help the body process glucose.
7. Lowers Blood Pressure – regular strength training helps make your heart stronger. A strong heart can pump more blood throughout the body with much less effort. When your heart works less to pump blood, that force on the arteries decreases, lowering your blood pressure.
8. Reduces Arthritis Pain – strength training releases endorphins, the body’s natural pain-reliever causing neuroreceptors to block the pain caused by arthritis. Plus, it improves range of motion in the joints, strengthening the muscles that surround them while improving flexibility. 
9. Helps Get Rid of Back Pain – any form of back pain should be evaluated by a qualified practitioner, however lifting weights can help strengthen the muscles surrounding the back, easing, and in many cases, getting rid of back pain. Strengthening the core muscles (upper and lower abdominal muscles) will go a long way in reducing, and often eliminating, back pain. 
10. Sleep Better – this is probably the most common statement I hear from my clients, “I am sleeping so much better.” Strength training helps my clients fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night.  An added bonus is that they eat less food.  Sleep affects the hunger-regulating hormone Leptin that helps the body realize it is full.  When you don’t get enough sleep, those levels decrease significantly and raise the hormone, Ghrelin that causes overeating. The bottom line is that strength training helps anyone and everyone living a healthier lifestyle.  Nutritionists, chiropractors, medical physicians, and of course, personal trainers agree that lifting weights should be a part of an exercise routine.  Staying strong, remaining pain-free, building endurance, and living longer can be accomplished through a well-organized fitness training program.  Are you ready to feel good from head to toe?  Let’s get started.