Why strength training is important for older women

Strength training has health benefits for anyone, but it is especially important for women as we get older. Here’s why strength training is so important.

1. It protects your bones

Women lose bone mass as they get older, especially after menopause, making us much more susceptible to osteoporosis than men.

Muscle strengthening exercises play an important role in keeping our bones strong. This is vital for women who have gone through menopause. Oestrogen protects and maintains bone strength, so after menopause when oestrogen levels drop, so too does a woman’s bone density. On average, women lose up to 10% of bone mass in the first five years after menopause, which puts us at a greater risk of developing osteoporosis.

Studies have shown that strength training not only helps slow bone loss, but it can also even build bone because activities that put stress on bones can cause cells to form more bone. The result is stronger, denser bones.

2. It speeds up your metabolism

As we age our metabolism slows done, making it harder to keep weight off, even if your diet hasn’t changed. Muscle burns more calories than fat and so the higher your muscle mass, the faster your resting metabolism. This means that you burn more calories throughout the day, even when you’re not physically active, which can help with achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.

Muscle strengthening exercises also increases the calories you burn for up to 24 hours afterwards, much longer than cardio.

3. It prevents muscle deterioration

With ageing comes muscle loss. From the age of 50 we drop 1-2% of muscle mass each year, increasing to 3% once we get to 60. This means over time it’s common to lose strength and stability, and gain weight. Doing regular exercises with weights not only stops muscle mass from decreasing, it also helps rebuild it.

4. It improves your stability

Feeling steady isn’t something many of us think about but it’s important to be aware of, especially as we get older. Strengthening your muscles earlier in life and incorporating balance and mobility exercises into your exercise routine can help prevent debilitating falls later down the track. Because it leads to denser bones, strength training can also mean that if you do fall you are less likely to injure yourself or break a bone.

5. It helps manage diabetes or reduce your risk

Increases in your lean muscle mass and metabolism through muscle strengthening activities helps keep your blood glucose levels in check and a lower fat to muscle ration reduces the amount of insulin you need in your body. This means it can have important benefits if you have type 2 diabetes or are at risk of developing it.

6. It lifts your mood and increases your self-confidence

Exercise increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain, triggering the release of endorphins and serotonin, the “feel good” hormones. When you feel good inside and out, you naturally project yourself more confidently.

7. It boosts your brainpower

A recent Australian study has shown that strength training has been able to slow and even halt degeneration, over a long period, in brain areas particularly vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers have found that six months of strength training can help protect brain areas especially vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease up to one year later.