Why Weight Training Matters

It’s not just for good looks.

Your heart needs oxygen, so you do aerobics and cardio. But you should also add in some weight training to your routine. No, lifting weights isn’t just a way to beef up your pecs and make your thighs harder than granite (though weight lifting is a great way to do both). Weight training also gives your body and your brain some other perks that are equally as gratifying.

Here are a few of the reasons you need to spend some time with weights in your hands.

Reason #1: It Keeps You Balanced

Obviously, you need plenty of cardio to keep your body going strong. But to keep it going its strongest all the time, you’ll need to lift weights. You don’t have to bench 450 pounds and squat 2 tons. You just need to add weights to your routine on a regular basis. This will ensure your body and brain are well balanced and able to perform at their peak at all times.

Reason #2: It Fights Osteoporosis

At the same time lifting weights helps your muscles grow denser, it does the same for your bones. Instead of waiting for a fracture to cause you to realize your need for weight training, get started with the weights today. Grab a small dumbbell and start pumping away while you sit in your living room chair or walk around the neighborhood.

Reason #3: It Burns More Fat

In order to trim off extra fat from your body, you’ll need to get sweating with some good cardiovascular exercises. But to make your body burn more calories during your cardio and when you’re going about your regular daily routine, you’ll need to add some muscle weight to your body. The best way to do this? Lift weights.

Reason #4: It Helps You Sleep

Nearly everything you do requires an adequate amount of sleep. From mowing the lawn to writing a poem to answering the telephone to balancing your checkbook, if you don’t get enough shuteye, you won’t be able to complete these tasks as well as your well-rested peers. A great way to increase your likelihood to get a good night of sleep is to lift weights. So head to the weight-lifting section of the gym, do your thing, and get ready to hit the hay.

Reason #5: Your Body Does What It Should

More than likely, you’ve never had to chop wood with an axe or walk to school, and you can’t remember the last time you opted for stairs over the elevator. While life is more convenient than it was during the good old days, new technologies have resulted in you putting fewer demands on your muscles. Weight training allows your muscles to do what they were created for – moving and working.

Reason #6: Go Longer, Stronger

Feel worn out at the end of the day? Then you must not be lifting weights. Getting regular weight training helps you grow your stamina so you can go strong all day, no matter what you come up against. In addition to going longer, lifting weights helps you go stronger as well.