The Oaks at Ojai
Okay, let’s admit it. Some of the reason we work out and have a regular fitness activity is that we like to look great. I know I do and I feel better when I’m stronger. I’m honest enough to know that vanity plays a part in why I stay strong and if you’re truthful, you’ll agree.

But strong muscles are a health necessity. When we do not use or challenge our muscles, the body atrophies. It loses the ability to function as it best can. If you’ve ever had an injury or even the flu and were unable to workout for a week or so, you know that getting back to your pre-time out fitness level is a challenge. It’s amazing how quickly the body loses muscles tone.

If it’s been some time since you’ve walked, cycled, played tennis or hiked, then you’re bound to feel "day" after muscle soreness from the activity.

Strong muscles are really your best friends. Here’s why:

They help you carry that over-stuffed brief case or sleepy toddler. It’s also true that when you’re strong, you have more left over energy at the end of the day. One friend, in her mid-50s always over trains for a hiking trip because she rightly knows that come the evening when others in the group may be heading off to bed, she wants to enjoy the resorts and nightlife of the area. I admire that idea. Her "friends," those strong muscles, let give her more opportunity for fun.

As anyone who loves to eat and adores desserts as I do knows, strong muscles use more calories than those that are weak. They are a weight watcher’s best friends. Strong muscles demand fuel, which means that healthy eating and the occasion splurge can fit nicely into any life.

Strong muscles can help make your future a lot more fit. If that’s not a best friend working overtime I don’t what is.

At the University of Arkansas there is a new study showing that women, age 50 and older, that garden or lifted weights, have stronger bones than those who walked, cycled or ran. Gardening, which is America’s favorite hobby, requires hauling shovels, tools, and soil amendments and lifting and digging. As an avid gardener, I’ve know the mental benefits of this hobby, but now there’s documentation to show it does more. If keeping your muscles and bones strong has high priority, just keep digging in that dirt.

Strong muscles can help you reduce and eliminate lower back problems. I call that a reason why we can be best friends with strong muscles. Try this muscle building exercise right now, no matter where you are (except in dangerous situations, of course). Sitting or standing tall, contract your abdominal muscles. Inhale and exhale deeply for five times, maintaining the abdominal contraction. Relax and repeat. The abdominal muscles and those that link through your sides and to the back can be strengthened in this way any time day or night. Strong stomach muscles support the back. Strong muscles allow you to move with ease and with the grace of someone who has a youthful gait.

Since we’ve agreed that strong muscles can make you feel fabulous, let’s also be honest that keeping strong takes time and determination. You’ll want to participate in a regular fitness program four to seven times a week. Walking is a smart start, but you may also want to garden or lift weights to build the upper body. Increase the program when you know you need a challenge and then feast on fitness as you admire your best friends: Strong muscles