After we reach 30 years we usually become less active so we start the long slow process of losing our muscle tissue.
This rate amounts to around one half pound per year then doubles after we reach 50 years old.
From there the average 50-year-old can expect to lose an additional 30 percent more of their muscle mass by the time they are 70.
And it continues to escalate from there.
Your muscle tissue is so crucial for your health that if you don't intervene and start a strength training program most adults around mid life start to say, "My house is too big, I need someone to mow my lawn, my chair is too low, my steps are too high and I can't do this and I can't do that.
" And if you should trip and fall you will not have the leg strength to catch yourself and down you go.
And because you are frail and your bones are fragile and brittle from lack of muscular activity, you will have no toned muscle to cushion and protect your bones and you break a hip.
After your $30,000 worth of surgery and a huge amount of pain and suffering your life will never be the same again.
Unless you are proactive and have a preventative proper strength building and maintaining exercise program in place the older you get the more muscle mass you will lose and with it your strength and built in calorie burners, so you will gain weight.
As we get larger we get weaker and become more prone to injury and disability.
Because of this, doctors and other health professional are now finally realizing that all adults must add strength training to their exercise regimen to prevent the loss of muscle mass.
It has been proven over and over again that strength training can halt this loss and actually reverse some of it which in effect reverses some of the aging process.
Strength training is also the only means to replace fat tissue with lean muscle tissue which is highly active tissue and uses a lot of calories just to sustain itself.
This positive change in body composition muscle/fat ratio is the only way to promote long term and sustainable management of body weight.
By doing this the health risks of being overweight are also reduced.
These risks include serious killer diseases.
Probably the most important result of a strength training exercise program that will give you stronger muscles is increased physical performance which will enable you to remain more independent and self- sufficient throughout your entire life.
Because our muscles make up 50 percent of our body weight and function as the engine or powerhouse of our body keeping them strong contributes to improvements in everything we do, from our daily tasks and activities to our favorite sports and hobbies.
Another fantastic benefit of a good strength training program is its effect on your appearance and the way you feel.
This can directly influence self-esteem, self-worth, and level of confidence because when your body looks and feels better, you feel better about yourself.
Add it all up and you will have a higher quality of life just from 2-3 proper exercise sessions each week.
So much to receive for so little outlay of time and effort.