Our age has been considered the “age of push buttons” (Hooks 2). Because of our reliance on machines, Americans have been gradually degenerating. We need vigorous exercise in order to grow and develop. The muscles must be overloaded in order to be strengthened. Since ours is a generation of inactivity, our muscles are weakening and degenerating. “The physical fitness of American youths was compared with that of youths from England, Scotland, Wales, and Cyprus. Our young people were found to be as much as 14 percent below those of the other countries for all tests and a

What most people do not realize is that the optimal time to prevent osteoporosis is during their adolescence. The strength of a bone is determined by its density, which is influenced by the amount of stress or load places on the bone. In this sense, stress, your participation on sport, and loading, such as when you lift weights, are not bad things. In fact, both cause your bones to adapt by getting thicker and stronger, unless you exceed what you can handle in a particular lift. So what happens is that during the life of bone continual remodeling, or repair, takes place in response to the repetitive, daily stress of loading. Wolff’s Lay, a fundamental principle of bone physiology, states that a bone under load will grow stronger by increasing its density, or hardness. But a critical consideration is that your bones are more or less responsive at different ages throughout your life.

Reduce Body Fat-- Campbell and his co-workers found that strength exercise produced four pounds of fat loss after three months of training, even though the subjects were eating 15 percent more calories per day. That is, a basic strength training program resulted in three pounds more muscle, four pounds less fat, and 370 more calories per day food intake (Westcott 36; www.strength-training.com).

Improve Blood Lipid Levels-- Although the effect of strength training on blood lipid levels needs further research, at least two studies have revealed improved blood lipid profiles after several weeks of strength exercise. It is important to note that improvements on blood lipid levels are similar for both endurance and strength exercise (Westcott 36).

Avoid Muscle Loss-- Adults who do not strength train loose between five and seven pounds of muscle every ten years. Although endurance exercise improves our cardiovascular fitness, it does not prevent the loss of muscle tissue. Only strength exercise maintains our muscle mass and strength throughout our mid-life years (Westcott 36; www.strength-training.com).

It Will Work no Matter How Old You Are-- Wescott has successfully trained numerous women in their 70’s and 80’s, and studies show that strength improvements are possible at any age (www.strength-training.com).

Ankle injuries occur when there is too much twisting at the bony junction between the leg and the foot and most often when body weight is placed on the ground, such as when stepping on an uneven surface or a misplaced object. Of all injuries to the ankle, 85 percent involve ankle inversion, commonly known as “rolling the ankle in,” when the sole of the foot turns toward the opposite foot. In contrast, 10 percent of ankle injuries are known as high ankle sprains, involving the bones of the leg just above the foot, while only 5 percent occur by eversion, or turning out of the ankle. Inversion injuries mainly result in strains and tears of the ankle ligaments, while eversion injuries are more likely to result in a fracture of the ankle bones. Fortunately, however, fractures account for less than 15 percent of all ankle injuries (Bellew 33).

Some topics in this essay:
Melbourne Australia, Shelton School, Medicine Indianapolis, Grade III, Mineral Density--, Train Strength, Wescott Women, Wolff’s Lay, Muscle-- Wescott, Rate-- Research, strength training, bone mineral, bone mineral density, mineral density, westcott 36, strength exercise, westcott 36 wwwstrength-trainingcom, 36 wwwstrength-trainingcom, weight lifting, metabolic rate, weight training, blood pressure, bear weight ankle, blood lipid levels, weight training increase,