The View from the Classroom

Today’s topic…improved immune function via pumping iron.  Listen up ladies…

No science lesson today as I haven’t been able to find much on the science behind how or why strength training improves immune function.  From what I can tell, it has to do with the body’s production of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) which supports immune function.  HGH is produced naturally in the body, but declines as we age due to many factors.  Exercise can help stimulate the production of HGH.  That is a rather simplistic explanation, I know and I’m sure there is much more to it, but that is beyond the scope of my brain at the moment.

Anyways…research has shown that moderate exercise including strength training does indeed improve immune function regardless of whether it’s due to production of HGH or something else.  Now, moderate, what does that mean?  It means just don’t overdo it.  Overtraining and not allowing your muscles enough recovery time can have the opposite effect….decreased immune function…resulting in your body being more susceptible to colds and such.  Listen to your body…if it’s screaming at you to rest (like mine was today) then by all means, rest…don’t do what I did and try to pound out a 40-minute cardio session just so you don’t have to tomorrow…it will end up doing more harm than good.

In addition to "moderate" training, to get the benefits of increased immune function, experts seem to agree that it’s not a "hit or miss" thing…you have to be consistent over a period of at least 8 weeks before the immune system adapts.  Beyond that, continue to train consistently.

Lastly, diet, the right kind of diet, you know…lean proteins, whole grains, healthy fats, fruits and veggies…play a key role in boosting your body’s immune function too…so keep the diet clean AND pump iron to get the most benefits

Hopefully you’ve been following my blogs and you’re up to speed on the first two benefits to weight training, but if not, just take a moment and go read parts 1 & 2. 

Today’s blog is about bone density and how weight training can help increase it.  If you’re like me, you’ve heard that before…weight training can help increase bone density, but you’re curious as to how.  I mean how does building muscles help build stronger bones?  Without being too overly scientific, I’m gonna break it down for you.  Read on.

Ok…first a quick lesson on osteoporosis.  Osteoporosis occurs over time when the amount of bone broken down exceeds the amount of bone replaced by new bone cells which in turn leads to a decrease in bone density.  The result…brittle, frail, easily broken bones.  Now, you probably think of old women when you hear or read about osteoporosis.  Truth is, however, it can affect men as well and though my blog is geared towards women, here are a couple of quick facts…of the 10 milliion Americans estimated to have osteoporosis, 2 million are men and about 1 in 5 men will suffer from osteoporosis.  Additionally, osteoporosis can take place at any age and there are typically no symptoms until a fracture occurs.

Women, however, are at greater risk of osteoporosis.  Why?  It’s hormonal (isn’t everything).  Up to the age of 30 the human body builds and stores bone quite efficiently.  After that, bone starts breaking down faster than new bone is formed and that rate of deterioration is accelerated in women after menopause due to the decrease in estrogen production.  Women can lose up to 20% of their bone mass in the 5-7 years following menopause.  WOW.

BUT, there is good news.  Osteoporosis or at least the degree of osteoporosis is highly preventable.  You can do something about it.  The National Osteoporosis Foundation lists 5 factors that will optimize bone health and help prevent osteoporosis.  ALL 5 factors…balanced diet with adequate calcium and vitamin D, WEIGHT BEARING AND RESISTANCE TRAINING EXERCISES, healthy lifestyle with no smoking or excessive alcohol consumption, educating yourself and getting testing/appropriate medication when necessary…are in your control.

So, how does weight-training help bone density?  By putting stress on the bone.  Yep.  It’s that simple.  Muscles are attached to the bones.  When you train a muscle, it puts stress on the bone.  If the stress is great enough, bone growth is stimulated because bone is living tissue that adapts to the amount of stress placed on it.  Bone density decreases when muscle atrophy (wasting away) occurs through inactivity and bone density increases as muscle tissue increases due to the stress on the bone.  Like I said, it adapts.

AND…free weights have been shown to be more effective than machines in osteoporosis prevention.  Why?  More stress is put on the muscle with free weights.  Think about it.  Machines assist and guide you through the exercise .  They don’t allow you to bear the weight against gravity thereby limiting the amount of stress to the bone.  Gravity is a factor when training with free weights.  You’re bearing the weights against gravity using nothing but the muscle you have.  Stress on the muscle is created which in turn stresses the bone and leads to stronger, healthier, more dense bones.

You’ve heard the slogan, "Milk builds strong bones", right?  I have a new one…Weight-training builds strong bones!

If you didn’t read part 1, go do it…NOW!  It’s not that long and will only take like 2 minutes or less.

Anyway, in Part 1, I talked about benefit number 1 to weight training, “Increasing Strength” and how that happens without increasing muscle size.  Today’s blog will focus on the second benefit, “Increased Muscle Mass/Decreased Body Fat.”

Now women, you may be thinking “you just told me I could increase strength without worrying about getting big, bulky muscles and today you’re gonna talk about getting big, bulky muscles…I’m confused…aren’t those contradictory??????”  When I talk about increasing muscle mass, I’m not talking about getting big, bulky muscles.  Fact is, women don’t naturally have the hormonal make-up to add big muscles nor do most do what it takes training and diet-wise to get big and bulky.  So just put the words big and bulky away.  Won’t happen without a lot of focused action with that goal in mind.

So, what do I mean by “Increased Muscle Mass/Decreased Body Fat”????? 

When weight-training or training to increase your strength consistently over a period of time and provided you are eating enough of the right kinds of food (subject of a later blog), you will inevitably add some muscle to your body.  Again, we’re not talking big, bulky muscles, just some muscle.  Muscle is different from fat in numerous ways…it looks better for one as it is more dense than fat.  More dense means it takes up less space which means if you add muscle and lose fat you may weigh more but be smaller.  Who doesn’t want to be smaller?  Let me rephrase that…what non-bodybuilding woman doesn’t want to be smaller? 

AND…muscle requires energy (calories) to merely exist.  Fat does nothing but exist.  Muscle burns calories even if you are doing absolutely nothing.  The implication being that, if you add some muscle, you will burn more calories all the time, not just while exercising and thus, you can eat more and maintain your weight or burn fat and lose weight, depending upon your goals.  Why do you think men can do this?  They have more muscle so they burn more calories all the time!!

Now, if you’re skeptical, just try it.  Add some weight-training to your fitness program for a 6-week period and see what happens…what do you have to lose?

 This is exactly what I did last summer when starting to workout with weights.  What happened?  Well, the first six weeks, I stayed at EXACTLY the same weight, however, my clothes size went down…a testament to the statement I made above about being smaller.  Then we went on vacation…I ate well and continued to workout.  Upon returning from vacation I got more aggressive with the weights and made some additional diet changes.  What happened?  My weight decreased by about 10 pounds in a 4-week period and I dropped about two more sizes. 

The amazing part came when I started back to school after the summer break.  Now, realize that when school let out for summer, I had lost about 30+ pounds in the 5 months preceding,  but had only dropped about 1 to 2 sizes in my clothing.  Over the summer I lost only 10 pounds and another 2 to 3 sizes in my clothing.  The comments I got from co-workers upon returning to work amazed me.  I knew I had lost some weight, but didn’t really realize how I had transformed my body until those who had not seen me for awhile saw me for the first time.  Awesome feeling it was!!

Add the weights and you too can experience that feeling.  Again, I ask,  what do you have to lose?

I’m a woman and like it or not, at 40, I am middle-aged.  I don’t FEEL middle-aged, but I am.  AND…there are a lot of us out there.  If you’re one of us and you’re on this site, I hope that you are already familiar with the why’s of weight-training and that you’re have already incorporated a regular weight-training into your fitness program.  However, if you’ve just found this site because you’re looking to lose weight, tone or just plain get healthier OR you’re just not convinced that weight-training is for you, I’m here to persuade you to at least think about adding it to your program and to give you some good information in the process.

The positive effects of weight training are numerous and you may be familiar with some of them.  Below is my list upon which I will expand in a series of blogs over the next few days.

1.  Increased Strength

2.  Increased Muscle Mass/Decreased Body Fat

3.  Increased Bone Density

4.  Improved Immune Function

5.  Reverse the Effects of Aging

6.  Improved Mood/Increased Confidence

Today’s blog focuses on number 1, "Increased Strength".  Now, you may be thinking, "duh", lift weights, increase my muscle size, increase strength…no brainer.  But, increases in strength aren’t necessarily due to increases in muscle size AND most women don’t do what it takes to REALLY increase muscle size anyway.  So now, if you’re like me, you may be wondering where increased strength comes from if not from increased muscle size.  Don’t fret.  I’m here to tell you!

Inside all of us are many, many, many nerves controlling our every function.  Likewise, "motor nerves" control the muscles.  These motor nerves can be broken down into single cells called "motor neurons" each of which controls hundreds of fibers.  The motor neurons and fibers together are collectively referred to as "motor units."  When these motor units are not used, the old saying "use it or lose it" applies.  They don’t disappear, they just lie dormant, not working for you.  It’s kind of like that piece of exercise equipment that you bought, used once and then stuffed under the bed or in a closet.  You’re not doing your part to put it to use, so it’s just gonna lie there, doing you no good at all when if would use it, chances are some good would come from it.

Now, the trick to increasing strength is to get those dormant motor units working and to get the most motor units working at one time.  You see, the nervous system is an eager thing…it wants to perform for you and adapts accordingly.  It steps up to the plate when weight-training is introduced.  By weight-training, motor units previously not used are recruited which in turn leads to muscles being activated fully. Hence, increased strength without an increase in muscle size.  Additionally, by activating the muscles fully, they become more efficient at everyday chores like carrying in the groceries, moving things, taking out the trash, etc.

So…middle-aged woman or not…if you want increased strength without increased muscle size, put those motor units to work by incorporating weight-training into your workouts.