Wellness Wednesday - Why everyone should be bulking up (kids included!)

It's so tempting to go to gym and just get on the treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical and do an hour's worth of cardio EVERY time. It's easy. It's familiar and almost comfortable because you know what you're doing. You know how to work the machines and you know your limitations and you don't have to push yourself too hard. The only problem with that is that you are doing your body a disservice by leaving out a very important component of fitness.

Most of us know by now that, by adding some resistance training to your gym routine, you can get huge benefits in terms of weight loss, but, if you follow my blog you'll know my thoughts on that! Exercising ISN'T all about weight loss and I've spoken about that ad nauseum;) It's about getting your body healthy and functioning the way it should be.

There are so many benefits to adding weight training to your gym routine that they completely outweigh any fears you may have about stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something that stretches you beyond your limitations.

Here is a benefit I bet you didn't even know about: Resistance training is actually, literally, medicine for your body. Your muscles are a huge secretory organ. When you train them, they secrete hormone-like chemicals called myokines which have POWERFUL healing effects on your body. These myokines reduce the low-level inflammation in your body thought to contribute to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's. Studies also suggest they work as tumour suppressants.

According to Rob Newton, who is the foundation professor of exercise and sports science at Western Australia's Edith Cowan University, "Some studies have found that extracting blood from exercising humans and adding it to cancer cells in test tubes slows the rate of cell reproduction. In a study of mice, the growth of breast cancer cells was halted in mice that exercised, while the cancer continued developing in mice that were inactive.''

Doesn't that just get you all excited about your next gym session?! This study explains why exercise seems to help reduce the risk of some cancers and also improve survival in people who have cancer.

There are plenty of other reasons to add resistance training to your gym routine. Resistance training causes a surge of the hormone testosterone, which helps sharpen thinking and memory. Studies have shown that resistance training can help prevent the onset of Alzheimer's and improve the condition of existing Alzheimer's sufferers.

The cells in your muscles contain little powerhouses of energy called mitochondria. The more mitochondria you have, the more you can do. How do you get more mitochondria? Through resistance training!

The problem is, if you DON'T do any training, you actually LOSE mitochondria and that's why, the less active you are the harder it becomes to do things. As people reach their 60s, they just seem to exercise less. It's almost like they are afraid they are going to break. The problem is, it couldn't be a more crucial time of your life to be doing resistance training. Older people are more susceptible to chronic illness but, if you become ill when you already have fewer mitochondria, it's so much harder for the body to recover and this can lead to a steady, or rapid downward spiral for the person. I've seen it personally and I'm sure most of you have. It's a terrible thing to see a vital, energetic person literally crumble.

Forming a daily exercise habit is the equivalent of taking a pill to boost energy, strength and improve resistance to disease. If we want to reduce the risk of inactivity-driven diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's, we literally need a regular dose of exercise all the way from childhood to old age.

Exercising through the generations

These days inactivity seems to start from the time that a child can walk. How often do you see a toddler walking through a shopping centre? Not often enough. 9 times out of 10 the toddler is in a pram or a trolley or being carried. It's easy to see why. People move at such a fast pace these days that, walking at a toddler's pace is just not fast enough anymore. It's easier to put them in a trolley and get things done faster. Life is too busy to dawdle. The problem is that these are FAR from the recommendations for children from birth to 5 years old. All children (birth to five years) should NOT be sedentary, restrained, or kept inactive for more than one hour at a time. Sleeping is the only exception there, obviously.

Why is exercise so vital from childhood? Because exercise builds bones. The reason that bones become soft and brittle over time, and that a lot of elderly people suffer from osteoporosis is because, unless bones are exercised, they won't generate new cells. They actually start to be re-absorbed by the body and get softer and softer until something very slight could actually break it. Have you noticed how elderly people just seem to shrink? That's because of their soft bones and the increasing pressure that gravity places on their brittle bodies. It breaks my heart to see an elderly person stooped so far over that they can't even lift their heads to see where they are going. It's very hard to fix once it's that far gone. But it's preventable and it needs to start from childhood.

It used to be that, as children reached teenage years, activity would start to slow down. But kids are becoming inactive younger and younger these days and it's promoting an unhealthy lifestyle that seems to stick over the years. This will only set them up for disaster later in life. Let's face it, with playstation, cellphones, tablets and so much TV available at all hours for kids, it's obvious what the main causes of sedentary behaviour in kids are. There's also the fact that parents don't feel safe letting their kids too far out of their sight because it's just not safe, so there's no playing in the streets anymore. Something that's also become an issue is that schools are scared of being sued if a child gets hurt playing on an apparatus on the playground. This has led to things like monkey bars, which used to be a common part of kids playground apparatus, being removed and also, lunch time sports being forbidden. 

Monkey bars help build muscle AND bone strength in kids. Feeding kids calcium-enriched foods is important for them, for sure, but the best way to build their bone strength is through exercise. ie. play time. If you read the physical activity guidelines for kids up to the age of 12, climbing or swinging on monkey bars and climbing frames are recommended. Other suggestions are games like tug of war (great for muscle strength) and hopscotch (because jumping is good for strengthening bone) Dancing, gymnastics and martial arts are also recommended. Kids will love doing these things too. They have boundless energy.

Childhood, adolescence and young adulthood are prime time for bone growth. You literally need to get as much bone in the ''bank'' as possible between birth and the age of 30. This will slow down the gradual bone loss that starts after 40 for most people. How many of you are doing that for you and your kids? Not many people even think of that. We actually HAVE to and the reason it's never been more vital is because our diets are NOT providing the calcium our bodies need. Everything is so processed and refined that all the vitamins and minerals have been processed right out of the picture. There has never been a more crucial time to get kids active.

The peak years for building careers and families is between the 20s and 50s. This is when most of us tend to just stop exercising. Time is limited and life is just so busy. The thing is, being physically active is only going to benefit you in those busy years because it helps your mind and body work better which improves your productivity. It's all very well saying, "Hey, I've got kids. I don't have time to exercise!" But here is a sobering thought: You won't be much good for your kids if you have a stroke or a heart attack.

From 50 to 65 years of age we generally start to have a bit more time on our hands and, if you have been neglecting exercise, this is the time to start "disease-proofing yourself for a healthier retirement. Getting into an exercise routine now can help stave off chronic diseases that seem to hit senior citizens just as they are starting to enjoy their retirement. If you are planning on doing some travelling once you retire, but you have a few issues like being overweight, having arthritis and experiencing muscle loss, it's not going to be much fun. Travelling can be hard work and something as simple as lugging a heavy suitcase through a train station will seem impossible if you suffer from any of the above listed problems. We take it for granted now but I can assure you, it won't always be this easy. Exercising will help conserve muscle and bone strength and prevent frailty further down the line.

Doctors will tell you that any exercise will do, and, yes, anything is certainly better than nothing. Aerobic exercise can prevent heart disease, for sure. However, it does NOTHING for bone and muscle strength. That's why we also need two to three sessions of resistance training a week if we are going to take that disease prevention to a whole other level. The thing is, doing aerobic exercise like walking, running or cycling, but completely ignoring resistance training is like remembering to change the oil in the car regularly but ignoring the brake pads.

Resistance training provides your muscles with a built-in repair kit. It does this by causing satellite cells, which are attached to the outside of muscle cells, to multiply rapidly and donate nuclei to your muscle tissue. This means that new cells can grow and repair. So, even if you're older, your muscles will still be strong and fine-tuned for repair and more growth.

Another advantage to resistance training is that it helps control your blood glucose levels. If you have low muscle mass your body can't control its blood-sugar levels very well and that increases your risk of diabetes, something that elderly people seem to acquire very often these days.

When we talk about resistance training, people automatically picture 20 or 30-somethings doing CrossFit but resistance training is gradually picking up with the over 60s in Australia and America.

Now THAT'S what I like to see:)

That is going to be me in my 60s;) The NUMBER ONE reason people end up needing a full time care giver is frailty.  The 60s are the age group with the most to lose if muscle strength dwindles but so much to gain if they can slow down muscle loss. One the most awful things to happen to an elderly person is losing their independence. Imagine a day when you can no longer do things for yourself? I can't. It terrifies me, the thought of having to move into a home, or hire a full time caregiver. If you look after yourself now, there's far less chance of that happening.

No matter what age you are, it's never too late to start. Lifting heavy weights is such a great feeling. It makes you feel like you can take on the world;) If you can lift a heavy weight, you don't have to rely on anyone to carry that heavy box, or suitcase, for you. It gives you independence on top of everything else. If I look at a weight and I think, "I can't lift that...," it just makes me want to try it! Guess what, I actually CAN lift those heavy weights. You're stronger than you think you are. I tell this to all my clients when they say they can't do it. I say, "Just try ONE. If it's impossible, we'll move on." 100% of the time they CAN do it and they can do more than one;) The mind is a powerful thing and YOU are in control of it.

If gym isn't your thing, there are plenty of other ways to get some resistance training in. If you enjoy gardening, for example, as long as there is some lifting and digging involved, you will be doing resistance training. Enjoy tennis or squash? Hitting a ball involves resistance. Most ball sports do. If you enjoy your cycling, throw in a mountain bike trail now and then. That will challenge ALL of your muscles.

If you absolutely can't get to a gym, next wednesday I will give you a couple of exercise routines that you can do in the comfort of your own home, while you're busy cooking dinner or watching TV. If you have kids, get out into the garden with them. No garden? Hang a small punch bag in your house that your whole family can use. It's a great stress reliever! I bet you and your kids could have loads of fun with it:) Make time 3 nights a week to do a little gym workout with your family. Somehow families find time for TV. Dedicate some of that TV time to exercise time. 

I bet your kids will love it. Kids love to be active and they love it when you spend time with them. Don't use them as an excuse to NOT exercise. They also need to exercise so you can use them as an excuse to exercise;) It will make them more productive as well.

Tune in next week for some ideas on how to keep them, and you, interested!