A friend told me a while ago that her mother-in-law at age 61 cannot walk up steps. Instead, she has to crawl because she doesn’t have the leg strength to move her body up any more. The same friend offered the possibility that, instead of falling and breaking a hip (as many older people can do), the hip bone actually collapses and that’s what causes the fall.
What’s the problem here? Why should women’s bones be so fragile and their strength so weak that they have to crawl up steps? Consider, also, that women are living longer lives than ever before – imagine living for thirty or so years and being unable to move your body properly without a fear of doing major damage or simply not having the strength to lift yourself anymore.
Muscle mass naturally diminishes with age and osteoporosis (decreasing of bone density so bones appear almost sponge-like and lose their strength) is a disease many women face as they age. These two factors are major culprits as to why many older women find themselves in such poor physical condition that they often can’t do the everyday activities most people take for granted.
These conditions can be avoided but not without some honest hard work and it’s best to begin as early in your life as possible – don’t leave it until your muscle mass has wasted away (and often been replaced with fat tissue) and your bones can’t carry you any more. In other words, NOW is a good time to start.
It has been scientifically proven that strength training, also known as weights training increases muscle mass and increases bone density. Rudi Marashlian, long time fitness trainer, had a client at one time who had been diagnosed with fairly advanced osteoporosis. The woman was in her fifties and he started a course of strength training with her. After about three months she went back to her doctor to test her bone density and her bones were back to normal – a big relief.
Another scientific fact is that muscle burns more calories than other body tissues and the more toned your body is, the better it burns fat even when it’s resting. Strength training is the most efficient way of building muscle mass and burning calories to lose weight. Wouldn’t you rather be a slim, toned grandma who can leap up steps with grandkids in tow instead of a fat old weak grandma who (embarrassingly) has to crawl up steps to go to bed?
For more information, contact Rudi Marashlian.
Written by: Tracey-Lee Thatcher
