Why Weight Train?

<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This past Monday I was standing outside the classroom with my peers during a short break.  I was telling them that I had a meeting after this class, before my next class at 1 pm  which would last until my last class at 4pm.  In other words, I was not going to have the one hour 12 -1 window to get in my weight training during the day.  I would have to go at the end of the day.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">One of the women, who is in a different program (human development and family studies) than I (public health) said and asked, "You lift weights?"  "Why would you do that?"</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> It was a serious question.  She is a young woman, in her mid to late 20s and she was raised in another country but I do not know much about the culture there.  I imagined that she asked me those questions because her country does not make as big a deal about health promotion and physical activity as some countries do, but I do not know that for sure.  I do know that she sounded genuinely surprised.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My quick list of reasons was:</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">to be stronger</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">to prevent osteoporisis</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">to improve balance</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">to increase the chance of healthy active aging</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And one of my friends added:</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">to increase muscle mass which is more metabolically active than fat mass(well, I am not sure that is how she said it, but you get the idea - burn more calories)</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This all reminds me that I do have a website which, though woefully in need of an update, has some good fitness information.  It has a section on strength training that you might find helpful.   You can visit it <a href="http://www.yourhealtheducator.com/strength-fitness.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></span>

Why Weight Train?

This past Monday I was standing outside the classroom with my peers during a short break.  I was telling them that I had a meeting after thi...

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