Strong muscles and strong bones go hand in hand. The more weight you can
lift, the more stress you can put on your bones; this stress is what stimulates
them. The first astronauts to spend time in space experienced significant
bone-density loss. In space, not only does no one hear you scream, but you’re
weightless — there’s no load placed on your muscles and bones. Today’s
astronauts prevent bone loss by exercising several hours a day.
Prevent injuries ..................................................................................
When your muscles are strong, you’re less injury-prone. You’re less likely to
step off a curb and twist your ankle. Plus, you have a better sense of balance
and surefootedness, so you’re less apt to take a tumble during a weekend game
of touch football. Research shows that one out of every three people over age
65 falls at least once a year. Almost 10 percent of older people who fall are
hospitalized for an injury, and about half of those cases involve broken bones.
Look better .........................................................................................
Now let’s talk about pure, unadulterated vanity. Aerobic exercise burns lots
of calories, but weight lifting firms, lifts, builds, and shapes your muscles. A
marathon runner may be able to go the distance, but he won’t turn any heads
on the beach if he has a concave chest and string-bean arms. (He might also
be a faster runner if he pumped up a bit.)
We want to be clear here: There’s no such thing as spot reducing — that is,
selectively zapping fat off a particular part of your body. But you can pick
certain areas, such as your butt or your arms, and reshape them through
weight training. And if you have wide hips or a thick middle, you can bring
your body more into proportion by doing exercises that broaden your shoul-
ders and back.
Weight training also makes you look better by improving your posture. With
strong abdominal and lower-back muscles, you stand up straighter and look
more svelte even if you haven’t lost an ounce.
Speed up your metabolism ..............................................................
Metabolismis all over the news these days. At gyms, health-food stores, and
juice bars, you can buy pills, powders, and “thermogenic herbs” touted to rev
up your metabolism (and thereby help you burn extra calories without trying).
Suzanne’s own parents, despite their daughter’s eye-rolling and sarcastic
snorts, even tried a meat-and-grapefruit diet purported to boost metabolism.
All these claims are bogus. The only way to increase your metabolism is to
build muscle, which you can best accomplish by lifting weights.
Chapter 11: Why You’ve Gotta Lift Weights 165