I preach…LIFT!!! Why do I preach the practice of lifting? Because I truly believe that it is so very important as we age. Why do we have to lift? Because we aren’t doing the physical activities that we use to do in the olden days. Our lives are physically easy. We have people to do all the hard stuff that we either don’t want to do or aren’t capable of doing. This doesn’t just happen as we get older; it can happen when we are young and capable as well.
Those things you do that people say you shouldn’t be doing, do them. Of course within reason (like when you get an achilles injury from gardening on a steep slope.) I remember watching Limitless with Chris Hemsworth when they were up in the mountains talking to a group of people that live there. A young woman found it amusing that we go to the gym to lift weights. They simply work physcially hard all day to maintain their muscle. Well, we don’t have many physical requirements in our day to day; unless we choose to take on more.
Why is building and maintaining muscle even more essential as we age? Because it keeps us from falling. Falling is the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of non-fatal, trauma-related hospitalizations among older adults. The statistics are staggering. And it is solely on us to try to avoid falling. This is why we need to build and maintain our muscle mass. Not for vanity, not for anything other than allowing us to do the things that we use to do without being injured.
No one else can do it for us. It has to be something that you commit to. I sometimes think “wow, I have to do this for the rest of my life.” But, it is something that we do for ourselves, no one else. The saying “you don’t stop moving because you are aging, you age because you stop moving;” is a very true statement.
Lifting is not the only activity we should be doing. Mobility and balance (more on these in a later blog) work are very important part of “not falling,” as well. When you lift, it is easier to work on balance and mobility because you have muscle around your ligaments and tendons; protecting your joints.
Many people out there still don’t know about lifting. So, I will continue to preach and if even 1% of the people who read my blog or are personally preached to (because I care about you;) will be a good thing.
And FYI, lifting doesn’t make you bulky. Cupcakes make you bulky. ;)