7 Reasons You Should Start Strength Training

Hitting the treadmill is good for everything from your heart to your mood—but if you’re not also strength training on a regular basis, you’re missing out on some major health benefits. Keep reading for some amazing reasons to hit the weight room.

You’ll improve your sex life

Low libido? Strength training can help contribute to a testosterone spike, fueling sex drive, while your increased strength will improve stamina.

You’ll sleep better

A half hour of strength training can ensure a more peaceful night’s sleep, researchsuggests—exercises like bicep curls and leg presses done in the morning helped college students fall asleep 45 minutes faster and sleep through the night, in one recent study.

You’ll feel younger

Once you hit 50, you have a one-in-three chance of developing sarcopenia, a syndrome that causes a loss of muscle max and strength. The best way to keep it at bay? Start strength training now, according to a 2014 review of studies in Age and Ageing. Weight lifting will help you maintain your muscle function and strength as you age. “The sneaky part of this syndrome is that you really don’t notice it until it comes to a point where you’re so functionally impaired that it’s hard for you to get out of your chair, or you slip and fall,” study author Jeffrey Stout, PhD, tells DailyBurn.

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