Your Personal Best: Strength training

According to the National Institute on Aging, strength training is important for improving balance, mobility and independence as we age. It also improves muscle development, enhances bone density and regulates blood sugar, which are especially important for anyone with diabetes.

Muscle is also metabolically active, meaning the more muscle you have the more you burn calories at rest, thereby helping with weight maintenance.

Active, middle-aged men and women lose on average 3% of muscular strength each year, and the only way to counteract that is through strength-related activities.

You can do strength training with light weights, resistance bands or even your own body weight — think push-ups and planks.

If you’re not sure how to start a strength training regimen, talk to a personal trainer who has knowledge of strength training and how it affects older people.