23% – According to a recent study, this is the reduction in risk of premature death for people who do strength-based exercise, compared with the general population. 
Not just lifting heavy, body weight exercises too!
Read on to discover 5 more reasons to lift weights…
1. It’s easy to monitor
Seeing progress is important in any fitness regime, discovering you can lift more weights than the previous week will be all the encouragement you need to keep working at it. You are also more likely to stick with it long term when you can see results
2. Muscle burns fat
It’s often thought that cardio is the only way to lose weight, but the more muscle you have the faster you burn calories, even at rest! Moving away from the scales is recommended though as muscle weighs more than fat, take photos and measure yourself instead and you’ll soon start to notice your new leaner figure.
3. Everyday benefits
Not only will you be able to lift more weights and do more repetitions, you will also start to notice everyday activities easier and less challenging, from playing with the kids to loading the shopping.
4. It reduces the risk of injury
Muscles protect joints so keeping them strong can reduce strains and other injuries, stronger muscles also lead to better performance in other sports too.
5. It reduces the risk of osteoporosis
Amongst the many health benefits of lifting weights, increasing bone density will help reduce the risk of osteoporosis in later life. Those doing high impact sport and older women are more susceptible to this so weight training should be an important part of any routine.
Sarah Brookes Personal Trainer 