In Ireland, we don’t exercise enough. According to a 2019 Healthy Ireland report, only 54% of men and 38% of women in Ireland are meeting the minimum national physical activity guidelines each week. This number decreases even more as we age. For the 55-64 age group for example, only 40% of men and 30% of women are meeting the minimum targets. Living a sedentary life into older age can lead to a loss of functional health, due to deficits in strength, endurance, and flexibility that are consistently related to inactivity. Aging affects the ability to move, but lack of movement in turn accelerates the ageing process.
Those statistics include all forms of exercise. If we single out resistance exercise, the numbers are even more stark. According to a CSO study in 2019, only 16% of Irish adults aged 55-64 are engaging in muscle-strengthening or resistance exercises. Based on previous findings we can assume the figure for women in this age category is lower again.
We’re not great for promoting the importance of exercise in Ireland and when we do, it’s almost always cardiovascular exercise that is promoted. Cardiovascular exercise is incredibly important but resistance exercise is equally as important but it gets very little attention.
parkHIIT’s mission is to change that and we need people like you to help do it.
Why resistance exercise?
Lean muscle mass sadly diminishes with age for everyone. If you don't do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose you'll increase the percentage of fat in your body over time. Resistance training can help preserve and enhance muscle mass at any age.
It can also help you with the following:
Weight management: Resistance exercise can help you to manage or lose weight and it can increase your metabolism to help burn more calories
Stronger bones: By stressing your bones, resistance exercise can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis
Chronic conditions: Resistance exercise can reduce the impact of chronic conditions such as heart disease, back pain, arthritis, diabetes, obesity and depression.
Enhance quality of life: Resistance training can improve your ability to do everyday activities. It can lead to better flexibility, mobility and balance, which can help you remain independent as you age
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