Fear of Growing Old
As we get older, we gain more wisdom and experience, which gives us better insight and perspective on life. Aging also comes with another downside; we simply hate looking or feeling old.
As we grow older, it’s completely rational to experience feelings of insecurity, doubt, worry, or heightened concern about a world that seems to be changing faster than we can adapt—especially in the era we’re living in.
However, our chronological age need not determine how we look or feel each day. By better understanding what accelerates aging, we can take steps to slow the process.
One of the biggest factors for aging faster than we should is being inactive in fitness and not getting the proper amount of rest and nutrition required to keep us looking young and healthy.
Our resistance training, or lack thereof, causes us to lose lean muscle mass faster than we should, a condition called sarcopenia, which causes early muscle atrophy in men over the age of 40.
So, can weightlifting help us age more slowly and feel more positive about how we look and feel in our later years?
How Bodybuilding Can Help You Look Younger
The rate at which we age is generally determined by our genetic makeup and some environmental factors that may or may not be within our control.
Someone who has more of a youthful appearance most likely benefited from a genetic lottery from their birth parents. However, as this study demonstrated, the genes in our DNA that drive aging can be slowed and even reversed at the genetic level.
This means that resistance training may have a greater positive effect on the rate at which we age and can make us look younger as we persist with regular exercise.
The benefits of regular exercise have been preached to death. Resistance exercise is one of the best ways to prevent sarcopenia, or the loss of lean muscle mass. This prevents the rapid muscle loss that often occurs in middle-aged males.
Loss of lean muscle isn’t the only factor that ages us faster than normal; our natural environments can also make us look older.
Free radicals are unstable molecules in the atmosphere. They attach to cells to restore balance, but in the process, they turn those cells into radicals.
Resistance training can help prevent oxidation by forcing your body to produce antioxidants that can slow this aging process after exercise.
The Wrap Up
Regular weight training can boost confidence in middle-aged males. Make weight training part of your routine to prevent gradual muscle loss and protect your body’s cells from free radical damage. Remember, aging is truly a state of mind—let your active lifestyle define you, not your age.
