Muscle strength is of vital importance to keeping a healthy body. Your muscles have a variety of roles in your body including protecting your bones and keeping your body moving. In past decades the majority of people used their muscles on a daily basis with manual labor employment and lifestyles that required the use of more muscle activity. These days our lifestyle has become easier with the reliance of machines, remote controls and computers so as a consequence our muscles don’t get used like they used to. The effect this is having on our population and the western world is evident, in conjunction with poor diets, with the increase in obesity, heart disease and diabetes to name a few.

   So what can you do about it? In regards to poor nutrition, there are thousands of books, media articles, fad diets and even celebrities that will give you advice when really a little common sense is all that is required, but maintaining or increasing your muscle mass and strength is a little more complicated.  Once we reach our 30’s we can lose up to 3 kg’s of lean muscle every decade if we are not using them to there full potential. The results are an increase in body fat because muscles use more energy to function and the more lean muscle you have the quicker your metabolism will be. Your bones will become weaker because the muscles aren’t being put under load which can promote osteoporosis as you get older especially in women.

Your body structure will also become weaker with less muscle which can cause you to slouch when you walk, get aches and pains around your joints such as lower back, knees, hips and shoulders and make everyday tasks that you used to take for granted become difficult like walking up the stairs. So how do we keep strong? We need to put the muscles back to work. We need to make your muscles lift heavy objects. Push and pull heavy loads like we used to decades ago. The easiest and most effective way to do this is to weight train under the guidance of a fitness professional. Because lifting weights is putting a strain on the body it is of vital importance that you are shown the correct technique so as to prevent injury and to achieve the results you desire. With consistency and variety you can regain your lean muscle mass and all the health benefits that come with it and live a healthier, stronger more fulfilling life.