By: Musola Oniyide, physical therapist, Barnabas Health Ambulatory Care Center
With so many forms of exercise available today, each with its own unique benefits, it can often be overwhelming for beginners or those who want to return to exercise to choose what is best for them. To help, I will explain the benefits that resistive exercise has to offer. I hope the consideration of these benefits will help you choose resistive exercise (or resistance training) as your preferred mode of exercise.
Resistance training is a the use of physical exercise to improve a person's strength. There are various ways to do this such as using weights or performing body weight exercises.
One of the major benefits resistance training offers is its improvements on muscle strength and tone. During resistance training, muscles are being challenged and through that process they gradually become stronger. Associated with the strength gains are improvements in posture, balance, and mobility. Additionally, more muscle is built while your body will burn more calories. Those improvements in muscle strength are aligned with other aspects of your functional health.
Resistance exercise has preventative benefits for one’s health. It offers prevention or safe management of chronic conditions related to pain, cardiovascular disease, low back pain, pain associated with arthritis, diabetes, and obesity. Many of the conditions listed previously are partially due to a person’s lack of physical activity. If a person does not have any of these resistive exercises is a great mode of prevention. However, if there are individuals with such conditions their symptoms can be lessened through consistent resistance training. In regards to your health, resistance training can be seen as a medicine for chronic conditions.
Another benefit which can be overlooked are the positive effects on one’s mental health. Resistance training has been shown to improve a person’s self-esteem, confidence, and psychological mood. One reason for this can be due to the fact that as one performs physical activity, the brain releases the “feel good” hormone called endorphins. Endorphins provide a sense of feeling good or better which can last for some hours. Considering this benefit, this form of exercise is an excellent method to managing stress throughout the week.
Resistive exercise has much to offer in different aspects of a person’s life. It can act as medicine, a prevention tactic, and can be therapeutic. Its effects can be fully realized when performed consistently.
If these facts have convinced you to take up resistance training as your mode of exercise, it would be beneficial to seek out professional help. If you currently have a chronic condition like listed above, consult your primary care physician or physical therapy before beginning. If you are relatively healthy and lack these conditions, find a local gym and begin your training with a personal trainer. All the best on your fitness journey.
Musola’s Bio
Musola Oniyide is a physical therapist at the Barnabas Health Ambulatory Care Center in Livingston with a focused interest in the study of pain science. His primary goal with his patients is to optimize their function so that they can live their best lives. Whenever he is not doing that he is drawing, completing home workout programs, reading graphic novels, playing video games, reading books related to religion and philosophy, or traveling the world.
The Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center Rehabilitation centers are open and ready to help you achieve your goals. With four locations in West Orange, Millburn and Livingston, the experienced and compassionate staff at Cooperman Barnabas Rehabilitation offers adults and children the specialized care they need to resume an active life after surgery, injury or illness. They are committed to providing patients with the most advanced services in a safe, caring and soothing environment. For high-risk patients who are unable to visit in person, telehealth is an option. Patients do not need a prescription for physical therapy services.