Weight training is essential to maintaining your strength, muscle tone, nutritional and mental status. Keeping your muscles well toned will help you continue to move about, during your daily activities.  You will feel stronger and able to continue on with your social events.

We all notice that our muscles tend to become flabby as we age.  Keeping your muscles toned will help decrease the signs of aging. Nutritional status and our ability to fight off infections are much better when we have good muscle strength.  People with a poor immune system generally do not have a lot of well defined muscles. 

Our mental status also changes as we age.  I am talking about our moods.  Depression in our senior population is a very real problem.  The senior’s who cannot get out of the house and attend activities because of weakness, become very depressed.  Building muscle is essential to remaining active.

Okay, I keep talking about building muscle strength…now, what does this mean?

Free weight dumb bells will work your upper body nicely (2 – 5 pounds).  If you happen to live in a senior community, ask the Activities Department to schedule some weight training classes.  If you can get enough people interested in this, I am sure that they will accommodate your request.  Some communities already have some form of exercise program.  If so, join in the program.  If not, get one started.

If you are bound to a wheel chair, weight training is vital!  It takes a lot of strength to move yourself around in a wheel chair.  Keeping your muscles well toned will keep you independent.

Before doing any weight training, please consult your physician!!