So you want to lose a few pounds? Feel better about yourself? Relieve stress? Sleep better at night? Boost your immune system? Lower your blood pressure, increase bone density and have more energy? Then welcome to the world of weight training.

Let’s start with a simple definition. Weight training is about resistance, usually in the form of a barbell, dumbbell or weight stack on a machine. The concept is simple: it’s you verses gravity. When you are weight training, you are either pushing (for example the bench press) or pulling (for example, shrugs) against the weight.

Weight training should not be confused with bodybuilding, powerlifiting or weight lifting. The latter are all sports, with rules, standards and competitions.  While weight training itself is not a sport, it is a key component of training for all the above sports, as well as for team sports like football, basketball and hockey.

But even if you don’t participate in a single sport, weight training has great benefits that can improve the overall quality of your life. Here are just a few benefits:

1.       Everyday tasks are easier. A bicep workout isn’t about building hulking muscles to show off at the beach, it’s about being able to carry grocery bags, hold your child or grandchild or re-arrange the furniture without being sore in the morning. Ultimately, weight training is about increasing your body’s capacity to do work, including the work you do every day. Weight training makes everyday tasks easier and more enjoyable.

2.       You’ll have more energy. Often times, people say they don’t work out because they are too tired. This reasoning is all wrong! They are probably tired, in part, because they don’t work out. I’m a small business owner with two young children, a mortgage, a yard and pets. The best way I have to get energized after a long day? A good weight training session. Studies consistently show that people who weight train have more energy and feel better than those who do not weight train. In fact, once you get used to weight training, you may notice your energy level drop when you miss a workout. The science here is simple. Weight training raises your metabolism, not just when you workout, but around the clock. It also leads to weight loss, provides a way to work off nervous energy and longer workouts may cause the release of endorphins (the “feel good” hormone associated with a “runners high.”)

3.       Weight loss. Sure, we all know that working out is about a change in lifestyle and long term commitment, but let’s face it: most of us wouldn’t mind losing a few pounds. Contrary to what most people think, strength training may be more important to weight loss than cardio training. T he secret lies in your resting metabolism rate (RMR). Your RMR is the rate at which your body consumes calories when you are not working out. While aerobic exercises like running, biking or swimming consume more calories than weight training during the actual workout, the calorie burn from aerobic exercises is short lived. Weight training provides a prolonged burn, in two ways. First, your post workout metabolism is elevated; some studies suggest the extra burn lasts for more than 24 hours. Secondly, muscle mass requires a high number of calories to be maintained. By developing additional muscle mass, your body consumes additional calories. In fact, every pound of muscle requires 35 calories per day to maintain. And by focusing on muscle building routines with a foundation in squats, deadlifts and chest workouts, you can add muscle mass to your body. By gaining three pounds of muscle with weight training, you are burning 735 additional calories per week…while at rest! Add this “passive” burn to the calories you burn while training and you can see how the pounds can drop off.

Conversely, aerobic exercise does not usually build new muscle. In fact, an intense cardio program combined with a very low calorie diet can result in muscle loss…meaning that you actually are burning fewer calories when at rest than you would be without the high cardio/low calorie program!

4.       Weight training boosts your immune system. For years, research has shown that people who are physically active have fewer illnesses than their sedentary counterparts. Recently, scientists have found a more direct link between the immune system and exercise. When weight training, immune cells circulate through the body more quickly and are better able to fight bacteria and viruses. After your workout, your immune system returns to “normal”. However, a consistent, regular exercise routine may make these changes longer lasting. Exercise also improves cardiovascular health and blood flow, which causes toxins to be flushed away from muscles and organs, and helps keep the kidneys and endocrine system working well. Finally, exercise provides for quick stress relief. All these factors lead to a stronger immune system and less down time due to sickness.

5.        Increased bone density. Study after study confirms that weight training increases bone density, especially spinal bone density. One study at McMaster University in Ontario found that bone density for post menopausal women increased by 9 percent over four years if the women trained with weights. Women not training with weights experienced a decrease in bone density during the same time period. Research has also shown that people who train with weights have denser bones in their back and legs than runners. Studies show that while walking may prevent bone loss in the spine, strength training has been shown may lead to an increase in bone mass in the hips and spine.

All told, the benefits of weight training go well beyond this list. But if you’re ready to get started, it’s time to determine your specific goals and build a custom workout plan. You’ll be well on your way to a better lifestyle!