I’m a missionary spreading the good news that strength

training—lifting weights—pumping iron—is literally the

fountain of youth. Yes, couch potato, I’m speaking to you.

This news could change your life!

You can feel younger, stronger, and more

vigorous—perhaps better than you’ve ever felt in your entire

life. Advanced age is not a static, irreversible biological

condition. It’s a dynamic state that in most people can be

changed for the better no matter how many years they’ve

lived or how long they’ve neglected their bodies.

Perhaps you’ve been experiencing some of the signs of

aging. After maturation (about age 30), we lose one-half

pound of muscle each year.. If you are 60, this means you

have 15 pounds less muscle than you did 30 years

earlier--unless you have been doing exercises that help

retain or build muscle.

Do you feel older than you’d like to feel? Are you worn out at

the end of a busy day? Do you notice fat where you used to

have muscle? Are your favorite sports more difficult than

they used to be? Do you look at your older relatives and

think that you don’t want to ever look like that? Do you wish

you have the energy to exercise?

Strength exercise can help solve these problems. You can

have more energy, you can replace the fat now stored on

your body with muscles, no matter how old you are. You can

be brimming with vitality.

Let me share with you some of the benefits of resistance

training. The first reason is that it helps keep you from

aging—your body can be as much as 15 to 20 years

younger than your actual age. If you’re 60, wouldn’t you like

the body you live in to appear and function as if were 45

again? It’s truly possible.

Miriam E. Nelson’s book, Strong Women Stay Young

describes a study done at Tuft University in Boston in which

20 women 35 and older lifted weights in a structured

program for one year. At the end of that time their bodies

were fifteen to twenty years more youthful than members of

the control group who had not changed their lifestyles.

Instead of losing bone density, they showed significant

gains. They also traded fat for muscles so they looked

trimmer, even though they had not lost weight. Some

dropped a dress size or two.

And of course, women don’t have a monopoly on strength

training; men get similar results. A man I know who has

been in a senior strength exercise class says that now he

can easily lift a 50 pound bag of shelled corn from his car

and carry it to the storage area where he keeps food for the

wild ducks he feeds. Before beginning strength training, he

had to have someone help him.

A women class member states that now she doesn’t have

to have help with the 25 pound bags of kitty litter to lift them

out of her car trunk.

The second reason is that you will feel better. I cannot tell

you how many times I hear that each week as I work with

older adults. “I just feel so much better.” In addition, weight

lifting helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol,

decreases depression, improves sleep patterns, and helps

manage blood sugar in addition to offering a myriad of other

health benefits. It also assists in guarding against

osteoporosis by increasing bone strength.

The third reason to lift weights is to have more energy.

If you take my advice and begin pumping iron, the first

couple of workouts will leave you feeling very tired—pooped,

in fact! But gradually you’ll find that you’re energized by your

workouts and will feel much better afterward.

The fourth reason is that you will look better. Your body will

replace fat with muscle and muscle is less bulky than fat.

Many women in my classes tell me that after a few workout

sessions, they can now wear clothes that had been too

tight—without losing any weight. Men also say that they’ve

had to tighten their belts a notch or two.

The fifth reason is to boost your self-esteem. Recently I

worked out with a 27-year-old friend. I set the weights on the

leg extension machine so I could barely do eight repetitions.

When it was her turn, she slid onto the seat, hooked her

legs under the pads, and attempted to lift them. She couldn’t

manage it, turned to me and said, “Phyllis, how did you do

that?” as she decreased the amount of weight on the

stack.

I teach strength trainng classes for seniors each week.

When I finally convince new class members to leave their

three-pound weights behind and move up to fives—and they

do an exercise that would have been impossible just a

couple of weeks before—they feel so much better about

themselves. The next time they pick up a three-pound

weight, they say, “How did I ever think this was heavy?”

The last reason is that your friends and family will think

you’re cool. One of the ladies in my class for women over 40

told the rest of us that her son who’s been a weightlifter

since college, said “Wow, Mom, look at the muscles in your

arms.” For the first time in her life, you could see muscle

definition in her forearms. For me this means that I can

remain vital and strong even though I am well past 60.

Why don’t you join me on this journey? I promise you’ll feel

better, be healthier, have more energy and boost your

self-esteem a little in the process.

Phyllis Rogers is a senior citizen, a Certified Fitness Trainer

and Specialist in Fitness for Older Adults. She is author of

"Over 40 & Gettin' Stronger" which contains an easy to learn

strength workout using only dumbbells and can be done at

home. It can be ordered at her web site

http://www.StrongOver40.com. Phyllis has taught more than 1200

strength classes for older adults. She can be reached at

fitness9@mindspring.com and is available for workshops

and speeches.