There is an uptick at this time of year in the number of people who call me about weight loss. As summer approaches, people begin to wear less clothing and more revealing. Suddenly it seems that not having kept their new year’s resolution matters. Those individuals are often concerned about the appearance aspect of their weight. If that is the motivation, super! Because, once they get into a healthy new routine, the health and wellness benefits become the siren song of a clean diet and getting movement into every day.
For me, walking has long been a movement of choice. I love seeing the sites when I walk, clearing my head and getting my heart rate up. Now that I have the pups, walking is also a necessary part of my day, several times a day. A few years back I discovered the joys of yoga. The stretching, using my body as resistance and of course the philosophy behind yoga of self-acceptance all resonated with me. Therefore I have included it into my routines.
In the past I lifted weights, however, I had lost interest in it. When I came across Wendi Friesen’s s protocol for helping body builders, it did inspire some interest again. However, I didn’t seem to stick with it. Recently I became more aware of just what lifting does for an individual and so I find myself incorporating it into my routines as well.
As my mother (who will be 90 this year) is in a nursing facility, she is getting several types of rehabilitation. The physical therapy includes the use of light weights. This reminded me that you are never too old to lift!
The benefits of lifting for seniors include:
- improved bone mass
- lower fat on the body
- improved strength and flexibility
- reduced symptoms of chronic illnesses
- lower resting blood pressure
- increase serotonin (the feel good hormone) production
- mental sharpness increases
I found even more great benefits in this article:
Weightlifting: 20 Benefits for Mind and Body
Perhaps I should have listened to Wendi and started body-building when I learned how to help others with it. However, I am not able to go back in time to change that. What I can do and have done is start with now. From now on, weight training is a part of my life. It is not my intent to become a competitive body-builder, just to be responsible for the only body I have. To ensure I stick with it this time, you can be sure that I include self-hypnosis around weight training.
