Picking up a few pounds can help you live longer, feel better and look younger. As long as those pounds are the kind that can be put back down immediately, preferably in sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, a couple times a week. Those are the basics behind the buzz in the world of wellness and warm-up suits.
More women are flexing their muscles in the fight against Father Time and the battle of the bulge thanks to the popularity of two books, “Strong Women Stay Young” (Bantam, $23.95) and “Strong Women Stay Slim” ($24.95).
Released a year ago, “Strong Women Stay Young” became an instant bestseller, made the author a regular on morning news shows and launched a Web site and a just-released video. Most of the exercises on the video are low impact and involve the use of light-weight hand and ankle weights.
In both books, author and researcher Miriam E. Nelson touts strength training as the fountain of youth and backs it up with her research at Tufts University’s Center for Aging along with success stories from mountain-biking grandmothers and leaner aerobic class drop-outs.
From the laboratory to the locker room, “Strong Women Stay Young” has became a national hit. Its scientific basis wins endorsements from the medical community; while its easy-to-follow routine gets ringing endorsements from those needing a little nudge toward the Nautilus.
“Truth is hard to find in the world of diet and exercise. Everyone claims to have the answer, but this book delivers,” says Diana Wells, a dumbbell devotee from Indiana. “There are no gimmicks — and if you work, it works.”
Nelson’s research was first published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1994 and generated worldwide news. The women in the study were told not to diet or increase their aerobic activity, but most lost inches and increased their metabolism by 15 percent. Encouraged by those findings, Nelson collaborated with freelance health writer Sarah Wernick to spread the word about strength training’s effect on bone loss and muscle gain. The result: a straight-forward book of testimonials, exercises, progress charts and illustrations of women who look like they’ve never worn a bikini or spent more than a few minutes a day in a gym. With the help of a chef, they also added chapters on strength training and menu planning to fight the middle-age spread and energy drain.
The thank-you letters and success stories haven’t stopped coming to her mailbox, says Nelson, who is taking a sabbatical from her research position to keep up with the “very welcome chaos” that celebrity has brought.
“Public demand for (my) ideas and the research to support them has proven to be a real formula for success,” Nelson says.
To order the “Strong Women Stay Young” video, call 888-7-WOMEN-1 or visit the Web site at www.strongwomen.com for more information.
