Building Muscle and Living Happier

The benefits of building muscles are practically never ending. If you want to live a more satisfying life and just plain enjoy life more - start getting in shape! Start exercising and building muscle. You'll soon find yourself enjoying life more. You'll feel better and most likely look better! People will notice a change. A positive change - for the better!

Building muscles and getting regular exercise can help you live longer and spend less at the Doctor's office! ( Have you been to the Doctor lately? ) Some known and time honored benefits of exercise include:

Lose Weight or Stay at a Healthy Weight

Exercise and strength training are crucial to weight control, because individuals who have more muscle mass have a higher metabolic rate. Muscle is active tissue that consumes calories while stored fat uses very little energy. Strength training can provide up to a 15% increase in metabolic rate, which is enormously helpful for weight loss and long-term weight control.

Improved Glucose Control

More than 14 million Americans have type II diabetes—a staggering three-hundred percent increase over the past forty years—and the numbers are steadily climbing. In addition to being at greater risk for heart and renal disease, diabetes is also the leading cause of blindness in older adults. Fortunately, studies now show that lifestyle changes such as exercise and strength training have a profound impact on helping older adults manage their diabetes.

In a recent study of Hispanic men and women, 16 weeks of strength training produced dramatic improvements in glucose control that are comparable to taking diabetes medication. In addition, the study volunteers were stronger, gained muscle, lost body fat, had less depression, and felt much more self-confident. The results are clear. Just half an hour of exercise and strength training five days a week leads to better overall health.

Don't wait - start today! Start getting some exercise every day. If you are working out with weights - you'll need to rest your muscles for a day. Get some aerobic exercise - like brisk walking or running - at least four or five days each week!

Try it for a month. You'll have more energy and feel way less stress! And, you'll be on the road to a healthy, happier lifestyle!