Roll over, Grandma, and tell Grandpappy the news - it's time for him to get off his duff and hit the weights:
A scientific statement released Monday by the American Heart Association indicates that weight lifting, also known as resistance training, can provide multiple benefits for patients with heart disease and can be safely performed if certain guidelines are followed.
What do we recall about this sport of Hercules? Lifting weights is arduous, time-consuming and costly. It cannot be done without proper instruction first. It may even have a certain aura around it that some folks find unappealing.
It can no longer be argued, however, that resistance training is unhealthy. Just as we suspected, it is good for heart patients who meet the requirements set by the AHA. With the help of a trainer, patients of all ages can learn the correct techniques and gain the benefits of muscle toning.
"Just like we once learned that people with heart disease benefited from aerobic exercise, we are now learning that moderate weight training also has significant benefits," Dr. Mark A. Williams, chair of the AHA writing group, said in a statement.
"Resistance training not only enhances the benefits of aerobic fitness, but it appears to provide the added benefit of increased functional capacity and independence. It helps people better perform tasks of daily living -- like lifting sacks of groceries," Williams, from Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, added.
The benefits of weight training in cardiac patients are outlined in the AHA statement. They include:
-increased ability to perform activities of daily living, thus alllowing an independent lifestyle
-increased strength and muscle coordination
-higher metabolic rate, leading to better weight control
As with all weight training programs the AHA has issued guidelines for safe and healthy resistance training. They are worth reading, especially if one is suddenly inspired to take up the sport. Use with caution, folks, and get professional training first. Now go -and live a stronger life.
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This is a very good recommendation. I, a 71 yr old female, and my 74 yr old husband, both healthy, have belonged for two years to a program run by our local university Human Kinetics program called Changing Aging. We go three times a week. The program includes a twice yearly assessment as well as two training sessions per year with a personal trainer to develop a program of aerobic exercise and resistance training. Several heart programs in the local hospitals also refer their patients to this program. They run spinning classes and functional fitness classes, Tai Chi and Yoga classes and the gym is very well equipped and supervised. They also make great use of resistance bands and resistance tubes which are very suitable for older people.
I hope lots of people read this post and act on it. Thanks for posting about it.
My husband will be glad to hear about this. He was too weak to handle our 850-pound Honda Gold Wing after his CABG surgery, so he started working out in the weight room where he works. He's kept it up for over a year.
What great news! I've been weight training since high school, and was really disappointed when I had to take a break from it when I had myocarditis. Left off of your list of potential benefits is stress reduction. After a long day taking care of my pediatric cancer patients, exercise is a phenomenal way to relieve the stress. Great to know that it's good for my heart, too.
I took up weight training in the early nineties(when it wasn't as mainstream) and vividly recall being told by one guy that I had the best behind in the gym. (Held that one over my husband for many years - Mind you, I can't still make that claim. However, it's still not bad)
That aside, I do continue to do some form of training most days, whether it be resistance or aerobic, and feel the psychological benefits are as important as the physical, or at least to me they are.
PS. Thought I might try my hand at humour - The bad news is, across culture, it may just fall flat - the good news is that no-one knows who in the hell I am.
PS. Thought I might try my hand at humour - The bad news is, across culture, it may just fall flat - the good news is that no-one knows who in the hell I am.
That aside, I do continue to do some form of training most days, whether it be resistance or aerobic, and feel the psychological benefits are as important as the physical, or at least to me they are.