Whether you are already a frequent routine weight lifter, a runner, a bodybuilder, a powerlifter, a yoga person, or an at home workout fan the benefits of weight lifting have an impact that ranges far outside of just our muscles. Tiffany Ayuda from Get Pocket lists the 7 Incredible Benefits of Lifting Weights That Have Nothing To Do With Muscle. The two most captivating and desirable benefits would be how weight lifting can help aid managing stress and our moods as well as improving memory and brain health. Who doesn’t want a stronger brain and more stress-reduced life?
Her other benefits listed include losing weight and burning more calories, protecting our bone health, improving posture, reducing back pain, and becoming more fully in tune with our bodies. These benefits are all connected and rely upon each other based upon the mind-muscle connection we form when performing a lift. When performing a lift such as a bicep curl, we use our minds to intensely focus on only the bicep contracting with no other muscle assisting or contributing to the curl. This is the mind muscle connection. It is both a mental and physical exercise. The physical aspect of this connection is focusing on isolating only one muscle group to work in order to lift the weight. The mental aspect is the focus on which exact precise muscle is working while also remaining concentrated on that muscle for the entirety of the set. If our concentration weakens or wanders, the mind muscle connection is likely to become lost and the incorrect muscle groups will be used and the improper form of the lift could cause injury. The mind muscle connection also helps us become extremely attentive and aware of our bodies as we must pay close attention to our physical cues during a lift. Listening to both negative and positive physical cues allows us to become more fully aware of how our muscles feel and operate during a movement. This creates an even stronger overall connection and relationship between our minds and bodies as a whole as we can learn what to specifically look for to care for our bodies.
Thus, the physical and mental benefits closely follow hand in hand with each other providing us with mental, emotional, and physical benefits. No matter what level or intensity of exercise you are at, giving a try or continuing weight lifting may improve your well-being and positive aspect in your lifestyle without you even realizing. Having a physically fit and functioning body is just as important as having a healthy, fit, and cared for mental state of being as well. Weight lifting can help offer both.