Need some gym motivation for this week?

I get it – temperatures are dropping, days are getting shorter and it’s getting tougher and tougher to drag yourself to the gym to lift weights. But there’s good reason to keep with it, and it’s more than for just the muscle-building and bone health benefits that we’re used to hearing about.

The bottom line

According to a new study out of Iowa State University that looked at 13,000 adults, just an hour of weightlifting per week can cut your risk of heart attack & stroke by a whopping 40 to 70 percent – and that’s independent of running, walking or other aerobic exercise. In other words, even if you’re not getting in traditional “cardio” during the week, you’re still doing your heart a huge favor by getting into the weightroom at least once a week.

According to the research published this month in the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise journal, just 60 minutes of weight training over the course a week is all you need to reap the benefits. More time with the weights wasn’t found to provide any additional cardiovascular benefit.

“People may think they need to spend a lot of time lifting weights, but just two sets of bench presses that take less than 5 minutes could be effective,” DC Lee, head of the study, said in regards to his findings.

Even more benefits of strength training

Looking at the same dataset, the researchers also found that the same 60 minutes of weightlifting per week was associated with a 29% reduced risk of developing metabolic syndrome – the leading cause of type II diabetes. Additionally, the risk of high cholesterol was reduced by 32%.

So instead of just sitting in front of the tv at home, or spending your work breaks on your smartphone, grab some free weights and pump up those calorie-burning and heart-benefitting muscles!

The Ascent Chiropractic Difference

Whether you’re a pro athlete, weekend warrior or just looking to tone up, study after study shows that regular chiropractic care is an essential part of reaching your full potential. Ready to get stronger? To make an appointment at Ascent Chiropractic, call 262-345-4166 or schedule an appointment with our online scheduling app.

Source:
Liu Y, Lee DC, Li Y, Zhu W, Zhang R, Sui X, Lavie CJ, Blair SN. Associations of Resistance Exercise with Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity and Mortality. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2018 Oct 29.