Strength Training for Women

By Cindy West, Community Hospital Physical Therapist

Twenty years ago, it was believed that the loss of muscle and strength were to be expected as people aged. But over those years, studies with middle and older adults, using the same strength training techniques as used for younger athletes, were very successful.

As these studies accumulated, Miriam Nelson, PhD, Director of the Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition and Associate Professor of Nutrition at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, Boston, Mass., began to wonder what the strengthening exercises could do to strengthen women's bones.

Her study took 40, sedentary, but otherwise healthy middle-aged women. None of them were taking hormones. Half the women in the study were asked to continue their regular lifestyle for one year. The other half came twice a week to Nelson's laboratory and lifted weights.

The women who didn't exercise continued the usual process of women over 40 of losing bone and muscle mass. This loss of bone and muscle also had the added effect of causing the women to begin to slow down. One year of sedentary lifestyle later, their muscles and bones had aged and they were even less active than before.

The women who lifted weights changed for the better. They developed three pounds of muscle-losing three pounds of fat and increased their strength by 35-76 percent. They showed an average 1 percent gain in bone mass. Although that doesn't sound like much, the control group lost 2 percent of their bone density.

The best part, Nelson says, is that the combination of greater strength, increased bone density, and improved balance meant that biologically they had become 20 to 30 years younger.

"Our volunteers became 27 percent more active as they got stronger. As these physical changes unfolded, we saw emotional changes, too. The women felt happier, more energetic, and more self-confident."

"We now know muscle loss is largely responsible for the diminished loss of vitality we associate with old age," she says.

But this doesn't have to happen. Strength training is so important for everyone, but it is especially important for women. Why? Because:

* We start out smaller than men
* We have less muscle and more fat
* We face a greater risk of osteoporosis after menopause
* We live longer, on average, than men

These alone are reason enough for women to participate in strength training.

Dr. Nelson is the author of the international best-sellers, Strong Women Stay Young; Strong Women Stay Slim; Strong Women, Strong Bones; and Strong Women Eat Well. Her newest book, Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis, was recently released. For more information, visit her web site at www.strongwomen.com

Portions of this article were taken from the article: A Healthy Balance printed in Quality Care magazine.