More than 60% of the USA population do no form of strength training, which is a worryingly high proportion of the population. Strength training and building muscle are essential for maintaining overall health and wellbeing.

1. Gaining Muscle Makes You Strong

It may sound obvious, but strength training is essential if you want to have a strong and healthy body. Building muscle improves your overall physical fitness and helps you build stamina. 

When you lift weights, it improves your ability to do any physical activity and your ability to recover from a workout. You will gradually progress and after a few months of strength training, notice that you can lift heavier weights and not find it so hard to work out.

As you age, your muscle mass decreases. After the age of 30, you can lose between 3% and 5% of your muscle mass each decade.

One of the most effective ways to stop the loss of muscle mass as you get older is to do some form of strength training. Whether it's lifting weights, using resistance bands, or your body weight, don't underestimate the importance of exercising as you age.

2. Boosts Your Immune System

Building muscle means you have to be physically active. It is well known that regular exercise can help strengthen your immune system and keep your body strong and healthy.

Those with higher levels of muscle mass tend to have a better immune response to certain illnesses and can help to reduce inflammation in the body.

3. Helps Keep Your Bones Strong

Another fact of aging is that our bone density reduces. This can cause brittle bones and osteoporosis (it's more common for women).

One of the best ways to ensure you don't lose bone density is to take regular exercise.

When you put your body under strain through weight training, it needs to repair the muscle. This repair process also sends nutrients to your bones and helps them become stronger. It's just one of the numerous benefits of exercise.

4. Muscles Support Your Joints

Is it painful for you to walk long distances, or do you regularly get injured when you play sport? It could be because you don't have trained muscles.

When you build muscle strength, it helps support your joints, ligaments, and tendons. If the muscles holding your joints in place are strong, you are less likely to get an injury or feel pain when you exercise.

5. Building Muscle Helps Reduce Your Body Fat

When you build muscle, you will lose fat. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate.

Having a high body fat percentage can put you at risk of heart disease and diabetes, and many other chronic illnesses.

Strength training is an effective way to lose weight and a great way to maintain a healthy weight that will reduce your risk of disease.

Remember that one of the ways to build muscle and lose fat is to assess your diet. Eating a varied and balanced diet with plenty of high-quality protein will help you build muscle quickly.

6. Helps to Lower Your Blood Sugar Levels

The importance of exercising shouldn't be underestimated when it comes to maintaining your blood sugar levels.

When you train with weights, your body can better regulate your blood sugar and store carbohydrates. When you can't store carbs, you turn them into fat, and your blood sugar level spikes and drops. This may lead to diabetes.

7. Building Muscle is Good for Your Mental Health

When you have a regular workout routine, it boosts your mood and releases endorphins. Exercise also has numerous cognitive benefits. 

Not only does training your muscles make you feel good after the workout, but it can also boost your self-esteem. Regular training has the positive side effects of fat loss, making you look leaner and healthier.

8. Improves Your Overall Mobility

If you strength train regularly, you'll notice that you have better balance and overall mobility.

Having strong muscles reduces your risk of injury or falls as you get older.

Reap the Benefits of Building Muscle

Now that you know why building muscle is so great for your overall wellbeing, why not adopt some strength training into your fitness routine?

You can use muscle-building tips from a personal trainer. It's difficult to give generic advice, as everyone's routine for building muscle should be different. It all depends on your age, goals, current fitness levels, and any other health issues you may have.

As a general rule, you should incorporate strength training into your life at least two or three times a week. 

You'll also need to eat adequate protein to build muscle and lose fat.

Incorporate Strength Training as Part of a Healthy Lifestyle

Making lifestyle changes can be difficult. Making the step from doing no exercise at all to strength training twice a week is a big jump.

Make small, slow, subtle changes bit by bit if you want to live a healthier and more active life. If you want to feel the benefits of building muscle, you'll need to make small steps towards strength training.

From taking the stairs more regularly to eating more fresh fruit and veggies, the small actions impact significant change.

If you'd like more help adopting a healthy lifestyle, check out our wellbeing courses that help you make sustainable changes.