That daily run might fulfill the recommended amount of physical activity and helps you maintain a healthy weight, but true long-term health benefits require more than just pounding the pavement. Resistance training, which can vary from body weight exercises to interval training, develops overall athleticism and is the best indicator of overall health.
Walk into the average fitness center, recreation facility or gymnasium and ask anybody why he or she is there working out. There will be a variety of answers, but unfortunately the majority of people are there for vanity. They workout so they can eat, sleep and repeat. People work out because they’re being told that they have to or because they believe it will make them live longer. Oftentimes, we work out so we can live up to whatever cultural standards are being set for us. These reasons aren’t a satisfactory response for working out, but they’re still popular. Their popularity has caused people to look at fitness the wrong way and settle into regiments that accomplish next to nothing.
The average working adult or student usually has a routine whether that be in or outside the gym. It might be a weight training, running, cycling or swimming routine. We like routines because they’re comfortable, standardized and don’t require extra thought or effort. We especially like them because we have a smart body. Our bodies and minds adapt to changing circumstances and do the same when it comes to exercise. Do the same thing every week and eventually we’re too comfortable within the routine, and at that point, the routine becomes pointless.
Don’t get me wrong, some aerobic exercise is better than no aerobic exercise, but that alone will do little to support your overall health because this type of routine generates low amounts of muscular force. A recent study from Brazil published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology stated that musculoskeletal fitness was a significant predictor of mortality in 51-80 year-old subjects. It explains how those with higher levels of musculoskeletal fitness had a lower mortality rate than those with lower levels. This type of fitness is developed through resistance training where a higher level of muscular force is required.
As we age, we tend to gravitate away from exercise that contributes to our overall athleticism. Age alone will cause a diminished athletic ability, but we shouldn’t give into age earlier than we have to. The sports we played as kids instilled variety into our daily schedule. No matter how routine your childhood might have seemed, no two practices required the same exact muscular movements. This variety created total body fitness with balance and coordination. Sports aren’t obviously as readily available as they were when we were kids and neither is time, but you can easily substitute the sports practices with musculoskeletal variety.
You might think resistance training isn’t for you, but the benefits are overwhelming. Just remember though that variety is the spice of life. Starting a resistance training regimen is a step in the right direction, but don’t just shuffle forward. Instead, make leaps and bounds by mixing up your workouts to include the movements and target muscles that will develop lasting health.
