Fuel Your Workout Your choice of pre-workout food is important. A good pre-workout meal could include a complex carb like oatmeal or rice and some fruit, like a banana. Your body needs the sugar that these foods supply to support you through your workout. The sugar in these carbs will be utilized by your muscles during the exercise before they get stored as fat. You must also include a serving of protein so that your blood glucose levels don't spike. Ideally you should have something to eat an hour to an hour and a half before you work out - that way your energy isn't spent on digesting the food, but you're still fueled up. Don't forget your H2O! Water is key in keeping your body hydrated throughout your workout. Dehydration can lead to cramps, which will definitely hold you back from peak performance. Fuel your workouts properly and you'll exercise harder, better and ultimately burn more calories in the long run.

Most people automatically associate "weight training" with body builders, heavy weights, and big, bulky muscles. But, weight training isn't just for beefcakes or extreme athletes. It is a valuable tool for everyone and has benefits that far exceed those obtained through diet and aerobic exercise alone. Done correctly, weight training, often called resistance training, can help to raise your basal metabolic rate (the number of calories your body burns when you are at rest), fight obesity, and help ward off diabetes. This is why well-planned resistance-training program is an integral part of any healthy lifestyle, regardless of age, gender, or fitness level.

Benefits of Resistance-Training

Strong, lean muscles are essential to carry out even the most basic activities in life such as lifting grocery bags, picking up your children, or even sitting and standing. But in today's automated society where practically everything, from washing the dishes to washing the car, can be done for us by machines, many of us don't participate in enough muscle-building activities to support these necessary, everyday tasks. According to the AT&T Health Affairs Organization, the average sedentary American between the ages of 20 and 70 loses 6-7 pounds of lean muscle every 10 years. This means 28% of men and 65% of women over the age of 74 are unable to lift even a 10-pound object over their head. The good news is that strength can be regained through resistance-training. A study by USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging enrolled ten frail, 90+-year-old nursing home residents in an eight-week high-intensity resistance training program. Nine of them finished the program, and those nine experienced an average gain in strength of 174%. Their thigh muscles increased in size by 9%, and their walking speed increased by 48%, leading the researchers to suggest that even the very oldest among us may benefit significantly from resistance training. But increasing your strength is just one of the advantages gained from resistance training.

Fit, Not Fat

We've all heard someone, maybe even ourselves, say, "When I turned (a certain age), my metabolism just slowed down, and the weight began creeping up". While it's true that metabolism slows with age, it is mainly due to the fact that as we age we tend to lose lean body mass because we tend to move less. This inactivity causes our bodies to require less of a metabolic demand for oxygen and our caloric needs decline. Unfortunately, even though our needs may decline, our wants stay the same, causing our waistlines to expand. By increasing your lean muscle through resistance training, you are able to boost your body's basal metabolic rate, thereby raising your fat and calorie burning ability. In fact, research suggests that by adding on just 3 pounds of lean muscle you can increase your metabolic rate by a whopping 7%. This in turn makes weight-loss easier and if you keep it up, resistance training will continue to enhance your metabolism even as you age. Because muscle tissue is active and constantly needs to be fed, it burns 25% more calories than fat tissue. This constant energy use increases your muscle mass and your metabolism continues to stay elevated whether working out or resting. Studies show that after a weight training session energy expenditure continues for two hours even during periods of relaxation, as opposed to less than an hour after an aerobic workout alone. It's no wonder that along with a well-balanced diet, building muscle accelerates fat loss.

Disease Prevention

By building muscle and reducing fat, you dramatically reduce your risk for many common diseases. One of the greatest benefits of building a healthy amount of muscle mass is the prevention and control of Type II Diabetes. It's estimated that 16 million Americans are living with diabetes, and half are unaware of it. Type II diabetes occurs when the body resists insulin. Insulin aids in the body's absorption of glucose from blood. Blood glucose is a simple sugar that is used as an energy source by the body. Diabetes causes blood glucose levels to be higher than normal. The main goal of the prevention and treatment of diabetes is to achieve healthy blood glucose levels and avoid related complications. Fortunately exercise has an insulin-like effect on blood glucose levels. So it's highly effective at warding off and managing diabetes. Resistance training in particular has been shown to provide a safe and effective way to control blood glucose, increase strength, and improve the quality of life in individuals with diabetes.

Studies show that regular resistance training exercises can boost your cardiovascular health by improving levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). HDL aids in removing excess cholesterol from the arteries. It can also decrease low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels because resistance training can lead to the reduction of body fat, which causes cholesterol levels to drop. Lower cholesterol can help prevent heart disease, which kills over 700,000 people every year.

Bone Health

Our bodies establish the majority of bone mass during the first 30 years of life after which it slowly begins to deteriorate at a half percent per year until the age of 55 when the rate of depletion accelerates to 1%. Over time and through periods of inactivity, bones become porous and brittle which lead to the crippling disease osteoporosis. Like muscle, bone is a living, complex tissue constantly breaking-down and rebuilding itself. You have to use it, or you'll lose it. During times of physical activity, the stress placed on the bones triggers osteoblasts, or bone-forming cells, which cause bone deposition. Although many activities like running or jumping increase bone mass, those aerobic activities combined with a resistance training program have shown the greatest benefits. Strong bones and strong muscles also improve posture, which can remedy chronic lower-back pain and increase range of motion. In addition, improved bone mineral density leads to enhanced coordination and stability which decreases the possibility of falls and breaks, increasing independence later in life.

Start Training Today!

First make a list of the goals you would like to achieve with your new resistance-training program. You can either do this alone or with a trainer. Also, if you are new to a fitness program or if you have never worked out before, it's always recommended that you consult a physician first. Plus, it's a good idea to work out with a trainer or friend that is familiar with resistance training so you can learn which machines do what and proper form.

Warming up for 5-10 minutes with an aerobic activity such as walking or jogging prepares the muscles by enhancing blood and oxygen flow which makes them less prone to injury. Challenge large muscle groups first, such as the torso, chest, and back to prevent fatigue of the smaller muscles. Work each muscle group one at a time to ensure symmetry and to make certain that each group is being worked correctly and to its fullest potential.

Everyone is different, so it is advisable to tailor your program to meet your specific needs. Forms of resistance training include exercises using bodyweight, such as sit-ups and push-ups. Free weights and machines are also utilized in resistance work.A good rule of thumb is to start with light weights and perform three sets of 12-15 reps. If you find that you can perform 12-15 reps easily, you should increase the weight so that the muscle is fatigued at the end of the set. Conversely, if you find that you can't perform the set fully, you should decrease the number of reps accordingly. In order to prevent reaching a plateau, it is advisable to vary your routine by rotating the equipment you use and to also gradually increase the intensity and the amount of weight you use over time.

Resistance training should be done at least twice a week. But because muscle is formed by the constant damaging and repairing of fibers, you should always rest a day between working the same muscle groups. Make certain to use good form and stay in control of your movements. To isolate the muscle group you're working, it may help to concentrate and visualize the muscle contracting.

Resistance training offers substantial health benefits that go well beyond looking buff (although that's a perk!). Just think, with a well-planned and properly followed resistance program, you can burn more fat while you rest, ward off disease and improve the quality of your adult. So what are you waiting for?