It Starts with Strength

If you want to stay thin, build strength.
If you want to move better, build strength.
If you want to combat cognitive decline, build strength.
If you want to lose fat, build strength.
If you want to...???, build strength.

Why Strength?

Strength is fundamental to everything we do; it is the foundation all physical activity. Whether it’s running, swimming, or simply getting up from the toilet you need strength. The ability to exert force against resistance is a core component of movement and essential to life.

Even if you subscribe to the belief that running (or any activity viewed as cardiovascular exercise) is the best exercise for your heart, you must have strength. Your cardiovascular system is stimulated through the actions of your muscles and therefore any adaptations are dependent on strength.

Please don’t hear what I’m NOT saying.

You don’t have to run to have a healthy heart



Important points to remember about strength:

• Strength underpins all physical activity.
• Strength plays a critical role in injury prevention:
• Strength helps protect joints and muscles, reducing the risk of injuries during exercise.
• Strength enhances performance.
• Strength improves the movement quality of everyday activities.
• Strength is essential to carry our basic daily tasks like carrying groceries or climbing stairs.
• Strength is fundamental to life.

You obviously don’t need to be and Olympic weightlifter or an elite bodybuilder with huge muscles, but more muscle strength you have the better your life will be.

Sarcopenia, or age related muscle loss, can be terrifying. We’ve all seen those people who become so frail and weak with age that they can barely function. They become completely dependent on others and are often relegated to assisted living facilities or nursing homes.

Although we begin to lose about a 1/2 pound of muscle per year after the age of 30 we can do something (aka strength training) to prevent it. In as little as 30 minutes per week a well designed strength training program can stimulate positive results.

In addtion to the physical benefits strength training has a multitude of emotional, psychological and cognitive benefits. It will help you overcome life's daily challenges by strengthening your mental and emotional resilience, empower action, improve executive function, increase self efficacy and enhance self confidence. Research has shown that it could actually be as or more effective than anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications.

There is no greater ROI than strength training in the world of health & fitness!