When my grand parents were alive, the word exercise was not in their vocabulary. My paternal grandfather died from complications of heart disease. He had his first heart attack when he was 58. In the 1980’s he had a triple bypass. He never exercised, and he ate poorly. My paternal grandmother died from lung cancer due to decades of smoking in 2002. While she did ballet when she was really young, she never exercised regularly. My grandfather died two and a half months later.

Jumping to the Baby Boomer generation, there are still a great deal of Boomers who do not exercise or watch what they eat, and are now suffering from heart disease, colon cancer, diabetes, obesity, and other complications from these diseases. You have heard me mention my mother before. She came from a culture and age where women were discouraged from bicycling, roller skating, and playing in sports. As a result, she has always had an issue with her weight, and suffers from diabetes and heart disease.

Our Views on Exercise Have Changed

Luckily, there is a positive change in younger generations such as Gen X’ers and Millennials to exercise. We saw what an unhealthy lifestyle can do to our parents and grand parents. Many of us are now starting to deal with the reality of taking care of our parents due to health related issues including osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and other maladies that could have been prevented or proactively managed. These generational demographics have a major incentive to get in shape and choose healthy dietary habits.

For those who engage in regular exercise, just being healthy and pain-free is a major motivational factor. With that said, there are other advantages to regular exercise. These include a slow down in shrinking height, bone loss, looking younger, weight loss, having more energy, beating depression, and increased sex drive, to name a few. But, did you know it can also slow down or prevent dementia in older adults?

A recent large study published by the Journal of American Medicine found that adults age 65 and older who engaged 75 to 300 minutes of moderate to physical activity did not develop dementia. Even light physical activity can reduce their risk of dementia.

Preventing Bone Loss and Replenishing Hormones

After the age of 50, adults lose an average of five percent lean body mass (muscle) every year if they do not engage in weight bearing exercise regularly. A reduction in muscle mass is closely related to bone loss leading to osteopenia and osteoporosis. Over time, a regular resistance training regimen can increase bone mass and reduce the risk of these diseases from occurring.

In addition, weight training helps to increase testosterone levels in both men and women. Yes, women have testosterone too. Testosterone levels decrease as we age. As a result, a testosterone deficiency can lead to low energy, fatigue, low or no sex drive, decreased metabolism, and even negatively affect memory. Both men and women need testosterone as part of being healthy. In fact, one 30-minute weight training session can increase testosterone levels up to over 20 percent in men and over 15 percent in women according to one study.

Increased Metabolism

In our 20’s and 30’s it is easier to lose weight. As we age, our metabolism decreases. Your metabolism actually increases with strength-training. During a workout, microtears are created in the muscle tissue. It takes the body 24 to 28 hours to repair and rebuild this tissue, which results in increased muscle mass. Due to this process, the body uses more energy post-workout, and that increases your metabolism. As a result, your body is able to burn fat at a higher rate.

The ultimate outcome from all this regular exercise is a strong, toned, and younger-looking body/.

So, if you are afraid that your butt is sagging, or other parts of your body are, then get out there and start exercising. You will have more energy, be happier, have an increased libido, lose the flab, and preserve your mental and neurological health.

Thanks for reading!