Studies continue to show that weight lifting helps seniors with arthritis. As counter-intuitive as it sounds, putting more tension on muscles and ligaments attached to your bones helps manage the symptoms and improve the overall quality of life for seniors with arthritis.
Here are several ways it helps:
- Improves Muscle Strength:
- Benefit: Stronger muscles support and stabilize the joints, reducing the stress on arthritic joints.
- Explanation: By enhancing muscle strength around affected joints, resistance training can decrease pain and improve functionality. Stronger muscles absorb more of the impact during activities, preventing further joint damage.
- Increases Range of Motion:
- Benefit: Enhanced flexibility and joint mobility.
- Explanation: Regular strength training helps maintain or improve the range of motion in the joints. This can reduce stiffness and make daily activities easier and less painful.
- Reduces Joint Pain:
- Benefit: Decreased discomfort and pain levels.
- Explanation: Strengthening the muscles around the joints can reduce pain by minimizing the load and stress on the joints. Additionally, the production of endorphins during exercise naturally alleviates pain.
- Improves Bone Density:
- Benefit: Reduced risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
- Explanation: Resistance training stimulates bone growth and increases bone density, which is particularly important for seniors who are at higher risk of osteoporosis.
- Enhances Daily Functional Performance:
- Benefit: Better ability to perform daily tasks and maintain independence.
- Explanation: Increased strength and mobility from resistance training make it easier for seniors to carry out everyday activities such as climbing stairs, carrying groceries, and getting out of a chair, enhancing their independence and quality of life.
- Boosts Mood and Mental Health:
- Benefit: Improved mental well-being and reduced symptoms of depression.
- Explanation: Regular physical activity, including resistance training, improves mood, reduces anxiety, and enhances mental health through the release of endorphins and other neurochemicals.
- Improves Balance and Reduces Fall Risk:
- Benefit: Lowered likelihood of falls and related injuries.
- Explanation: Strengthening the muscles, particularly in the lower body, improves balance and coordination, which is crucial for preventing falls—a common concern for seniors.
- Weight Management:
- Benefit: Maintaining a healthy weight to reduce stress on joints.
- Explanation: Resistance training helps build muscle mass, increasing metabolism and aiding in weight management. Maintaining a healthy weight reduces the load on weight-bearing joints, alleviating arthritis symptoms.
To maximize these benefits, seniors should engage in a well-rounded resistance training program tailored to their abilities and limitations, ideally under the guidance of a certified fitness professional.