Without a reasonable amount of strength and endurance, daily activities are much harder for a person than they need to be. Strength and endurance are different qualities, but both are vital.
Muscular strength can be measured by the amount of force a muscle produces to execute a single move. Endurance is measured by a person’s ability to repeatedly execute a specific move before one’s muscles give in.
Building muscle not only protects our bones, it can extend life as well! From the age of 30 a person’s metabolism decreases by around 5% every decade one is inactive. The good news is that building a little muscle helps counteract that. Research shows that the more muscle we have at 65 plus, the less likely we are to die prematurely. Strength training is also key to improving bone density in post-menopausal women which can help avoid age-related fractures.
An ideal fitness regime includes aerobic exercise, muscular strength, endurance work and flexibility training. All of these components are included in Fitness League classes.
Here’s to a fabulously fit 2016 !!
Leslie Baragwanath