Did you know that you are able to improve your strength no matter what your age? Even if you have never worked out and consider yourself frail. Our bodies are amazing as our muscles respond to strength training. This does not mean you go and pick up the heaviest object you can and hoist it up. Safety in strength training is a must to reach gains and not set you up for injury.

Read on to find out what you can do to improve your strength add some flexibility, maybe even get you out the door walking. We also receive a bonus, you see as we lift weights our bones get a boost and build bone density. WOW! Let's get started on building a stronger body today.

First, decide on what is best for you. Would you like to be in a class with similar people so you also get the social part of working out with like-minded individuals? If so, find a gym or studio that is convenient to you that offers strength training programs for beginners. It is important that you check to make sure the instructor is certified through a national organization and his or her certification is up to date. Going to an uncertified instructor is not safe and your strength program could end up in injury. Being certified for over 25 years now, I recognize the important changes that have occurred over the last 25 years. Every year or two, certified instructors have to renew their certifications via taking fitness courses. Depending on the certification, the number of courses varies. Which for the consumer means you are in the safe hands of an instructor that not only is up to date with current fitness protocols but also might have further training in older adults. Exercise is not merely lifting a dumbbell and hoping for the best, there are many components that fitness encompasses. Only addressing one, leaves the body unbalanced and could lead to injury.

Our golden years can be some of the best years of our lives. Being strong will allow us to play the back nine, play tennis, or whatever you like to do. For some, retirement comes too soon and the thoughts of our bodies just deteriorating is depressing at the least. But, research has proven that older people who exercise and specifically add strength training to their lives, are happier and able to enjoy active lives.

The whole idea that exercising is for the already fit and the young is just not correct. All the fitness magazines show young hot bodies on the cover. The outward appearance is deceiving, because usually the picture is air brushed. I also wonder what is the magazine trying to sell with very scantly clothed women and men on the covers. Vanity is not fitness. Fitness is a balance of what is going on inside of our physical and psychological selves. We are able to reach high in the cabinet for the glass, pick up our groceries, walk to the mail box and have energy left for a round of golf.

In my many years in the fitness industry, I have had the pleasure of training people well into their nineties. They showed up did their workout and led very social and active lives. Being older does not have to be a decline, but rather a time for you. Research has proven that anyone can experience significant strength gains with progressive resistance training in their fifth through ninth decades of life and beyond. Adding a cardio, balance and flexibility component creates a win-win program. Let's do it together, I plan on playing the back nine for a very long time.

For more information about health and fitness, please contact Kay Colgan at Middleburg Pilates and personal training, 14S Madison Street, Middleburg, Virginia or call 540-687-6995. If you just need help in getting started, please call and I will help you or give you the proper contacts.