Why You Should Spend More Time Strengthening

Whether you have injured yourself or are dealing with ongoing pain and tension, you should consider strengthening, as well as receiving massage and stretching. Here’s some good reasons why you should spend more time strengthening.

Strengthening means every day things will be easier

For instance putting on a bra or doing up your shoe laces, sitting or standing for long periods of time. All tasks can become difficult when your muscles are stiff, sore or weak. Strengthening will allow you to do these things with more ease and less pain.

Bigger tasks will be easier

When was the last time you managed a day of strenuous work, like gardening or physical labour and survived without days of pain after. If you are stronger the bigger tasks will happen easier. You may still have delayed onset muscle soreness, this is normal after doing strenuous activity however, if you are stronger, you will have less risk of injury and recover faster.

Healthier muscles means less chronic pain

Regular exercise and strengthening with mean you’ll have less chronic pain. Chronic pain is pain that continues for a period of at least six weeks or more. However, many of you know it can last years. Strengthening the muscles around your chronic issue can help. For example, strengthening the core muscles means a herniated disc is less at risk of being aggravated and painful.

Reduce risk of injury with sports and hobbies

I see many clients injure themselves when they jump back into sport after a period off. They forget that they have become weaker and lost fitness. They think they can just pick up where they left off. If they had spent more time strengthening with other exercise, then their risk of injury would be reduced. They would be able to enjoy their sport more.

Housework and chores will be easier (and faster)

Who likes to prolong chores and housework? Who gets a sore back from vacuuming and mopping floors? I know I do. With some strengthening like simple weighted exercises a couple times a week the chores will be done in a breeze and without pain. Which means more time for fun stuff.

Better stability

A big problem I see in older clients is a lack of stability. This leads to falls and potential broken limbs or hips. Unfortunately geriatric hip fracture is associated with increased morbidity, functional decline, and use of nursing home services, as well as a higher mortality rate: One in 5 hip fracture patients dies within a year of the injury.

Fortunately there are a lot of great, appropriate strengthening programs for the over 50s, 60s, 70s… I see a lot of older gym junkies lifting at the gym. Not only does strengthening increase muscle mass and function but it increases bone density, reducing the risk of fracture.

Better posture

You’ve all heard me harping on about correct posture to reduce your neck and shoulder pain. If your back, chest and core were stronger, you’d have less problems maintaining proper desk posture and in-turn reducing your neck pain, headaches and need for remedial massage.

Types of strengthening

If you’ve realised you need to be stronger to do your job or to get back into sport, or to simply ease your pain there are lots of types of strengthening you can do;