A Spontaneous Increase in Physical Activity

An underappreciated and rarely discussed benefit unique to resistance exercise is a spontaneous increase in physical activity.  This benefit is even more pronounced in older adults. 

A classic New England Journal of Medicine study demonstrated that 10 weeks of strength training with frail nursing home residents (72-98 years of age) stimulated a 51% increase in daily physical activity.  These older adults improved strength, walking speed, and stairclimbing power, and these improvements naturally led to a more active lifestyle.  Of course, this makes sense.  Resistance exercise broadly improves our physiology and capabilities, and we are excited to use our newfound abilities. 

In a classic Journal of the American Medical Association study, 50–70-year-old women who strength trained for one year increased their daily physical activity by 27%, while a control group who did not strength train experienced a 25% reduction in daily physical activity. 

Take home message: Resistance exercise is the gateway to increased physical activity.  Maybe we don’t need to focus on moving more: taking more steps, getting outside and hiking, running, and exploring.  Instead, we can focus on resistance exercise, which will lead to more physical activity.