And Jack isn’t just surviving, he looks as vital as when he was a young whipper snapper in his 70s.

So what’s the secret? There may not be one simple answer. To most people in the last few decades of his life, they know him for his juicer infomercials. But, LaLanne originally gained recognition as a successful bodybuilder. He owes his vitality to the power of strength training.

Many experts believe that strength training is the key to preventing age-related disabilities. As you age, if you don’t continue to use your muscles, you will lose mass. This has all kinds of implications, not the least of which is a connection to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic illnesses. This happens by slowing your body’s metabolic rate, which encourages fat accumulation, which in turn snowballs into various health problems.

Muscle mass usually begins to decline at around the age of 40. And by 50, your muscle mass can drop by a staggering 15 percent every 10 years. Strength training can put a stop to the decline.

The most important thing to realize is that it is never too late to start exercising. The human body has an amazing ability to respond to exercise at any age. In studies of men and women in their 80s (or even older), they gained strength just as rapidly as younger adults by doing resistance training.

Consumer Reports gives the following ways that strength training rejuvenates your health:

• Benefits your cardiovascular system
• Fights diabetes
• Strengthens bones
• Prevents cancer
• Builds bones
• Increases mobility

(via: Washingtonpost.com)

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Strength Training Key to Longevity

But one healthy behavior that breast cancer survivors have been discouraged to partake in is weight lifting, for it is believed that using weights and exercise machines induces swelling and pain around the breast tissue, particularly for those women who have a higher risk for lymphedema, or swollen and painful fluid-filled nodes that occur on the arms or on the hands. Women prone to lymphedema are often discouraged from lifting children, playing tennis or golf, or carrying a heavy bag. But according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine, these warnings from doctors may start to quiet down.

Women who participated in weight training sessions following breast cancer treatment had fewer symptoms of lymphedema and greater overall muscle strength. In addition, not only did strength increase, but also range of mobility and self-confidence in a number of the women in the study.

This study illustrates not just the wide-reaching benefits of strength training exercises, but it also shows us how our conventionally-held beliefs about certain areas of health may need to be reexamined. But thanks to well-controlled and boundary-pushing research endeavors like this one, as new data sheds light onto different outcomes, theories change and so do our health behaviors.

Lead researcher of the study, Kathryn Schmitz, an exercise scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, suggested that breast cancer survivors should not rush from the hospital to the gym, but rather they should start out slow and work with a certified personal trainer so that techniques are learned properly and gradually.

If you are a breast cancer survivor, it is important to speak with your doctor first before starting your own weight-training program.

Here is the complete research study from the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Breast Cancer Survivors Benefit from Weight Lifting

Guest blogger Taylor Ryan is a NASM certified personal trainer and the head trainer of the all women’s site: The Art of Weight Lifting. Women’s fitness is her passion! Read more at her blog.

Not all exercise is created equal. We all know that running a mile burns more calories than biking a mile and that dancing burns more calories than gardening, but did you know that when it comes to strength training exercises, the same rule applies?

If you’re spending time at the gym on the weight machines, now is the time to stop. These are isolated exercises geared to work one small muscle in a designated range of motion… basically you burn very little fat and build or tone very little muscle.

The trick is big exercises that use multiple muscle groups and where you have control of the range of motion, and let me tell you, the bigger the range of motion the more calories you burn, which means the more fat you burn and the more muscle you tone up and build!

Here’s my list of the best women’s exercise moves you can do to see results!

1. Squats
2. Push-ups
3. Pull-ups or chin-ups (most gyms have an assisting machine)
4. Lunges
5. Shoulder Press

Try these moves out and then compare it to the machines. You will feel a big difference and so will your body, which will show!

The best part of these exercises is that you can add variations of the moves to keep motivated and far from boredom when you hit the gym.

Here are some ideas of what I mean:

• Instead of the standard squat do a plie squat or a split squat.
• For Push-ups you can change it up with incline push-ups, decline push-ups or even push-ups on a stability ball.
• For pull-ups you can change up the grip and lunge,s you can go reverse style, lunge walks or lunge off a stepper.
• Last, for the press there are curls to press, clean and press or the barbell press.

It’s easy to change it up when you know the variations!

Now you can stop wasting time on machines and start doing something that makes your time at the gym the most effective!

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The Best Fat Burning Exercises for Women

Once I had been successful with the weight loss, though, I was still unhappy with the look of my body. Reading online one day, I was struck by the idea of lifting weights, but I didn’t want to bulk up. I gave it a try, though, and now I’m addicted. Lifting weights is terrific for women and the benefits are endless. Here are my top five.

• Lifting weights will make you physically stronger. This has benefits that go beyond the obvious, such as carrying in the groceries or wrestling with a tight jar lid – and means that you will be less dependent upon others in your daily living. (It also makes it easier to wrestle with that recalcitrant toddler – but don’t tell them that!)

• Lifting weights will help you lose body fat. The average woman who strength trains two to three times a week for two months will gain nearly two pounds of muscle and will lose 3-5 pounds of fat. As your lean muscle increases so does your resting metabolism, and you burn more calories all day long. That’s a win for me!

• Lifting weights won’t cause you to bulk up. Women have less of the hormones that cause muscle bulk, so lifting will help the muscles to define and this helps your clothes both fit and look better.

• Lifting will decrease your risk of osteoporosis. Research has found that weight training can increase bone mineral density by 13 percent in six months. This, coupled with taking your daily calcium, means less bone fractures later in life.

• Lifting weights helps improve your attitude and mood. Women who strength train feel more confident and capable, both of which are important factors in fighting depression.

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Five Reasons Women Should Lift Weights

“How is Max doing?” is literally the second or third question out of everyone’s mouth.  Max is doing awesome!  He has lost 60 pounds in the past six weeks!  He is at a place called Fitness Ridge in Utah, and is really doing great.  If you want to keep up with him you can find him on Facebook.

Everyone has days when chewing gum is just not enough to satiate hunger.  What do you do?  EAT!  Eating isn’t a bad thing, your body is telling you that it’s hungry.  Just don’t go grabbing a bag of cookies. Instead, choose a healthy snack.  Get some carrot sticks and hummus, or an apple.  Also, to stave off hunger for longer, try eating fiber rich foods.  They help keep you feeling fuller longer.

The freshman 15.  Daunting words for any incoming student.  To make sure I don’t fall into that trap, I know that I have to make the right choices at the cafeteria (salad and grilled chicken, not a burger and fries).  Also, I’ll be getting plenty of walking in from class to class.  I’m planning on joining intramural teams to stay active and in shape, too.  And finally, I’m a kiniseology major so most of my classes are in the gym, so hopefully I can get a workout in between classes.

The foods that are now staples in my diet that before Biggest Loser I wouldn’t touch?  Basically everything green!  I love eating fresh fruits and vegetables now! Instead of going through the drive-thru, I plan ahead and make sure I bring snacks.

Strength training is important!!  Not only does strength training make a person more fit, the muscle you build will help you burn more calories throughout the day.  I make strength training a regular part of my routine.

Well, I hope I’ve answered a few of your burning questions.  If you have any other questions, leave them and I’ll try to answer a few more!  Until next time DIR, keep striving to be healthy!

- Mike Morelli

Many of you are curious how Mike manages his diet and fitness plan now that he’s at home. Read now to see Mike Morelli’s weight loss maintenance plan.

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Mike Morelli Answers Your Diet and Fitness Questions