As we age, it’s the maintenance of the muscle system that is most important in our fitness. This Five-Day Strength and Conditioning challenge are designed to jump start muscle conditioning for the entire body from the abs, back, chest, shoulders, arms, and legs. This series of videos are designed to work together to help you experience what being strong feels like as you begin the transformation of your body! Instructor Lauren Eirk, resistance training specialist and certified Full Body Muscle Activation Techniques RX Specialist will teach you how to use the laws of biomechanics to serve your body in a way to get great fitness results. You will discover new ways to use dumbbells to safely challenge your body and improve muscle tone and responsiveness.

Why is muscle mass important? Muscle plays a crucial role when it comes to fitness. Muscle mass, strength, and metabolic function is not only necessary for exercise, but also for the activities of everyday life. There is also evidence to prove that having strong, healthy muscles plays an important role in the prevention of chronic diseases. Our bodies are designed to move. A sedentary lifestyle and poor diet significantly increases the rate of muscle mass loss. No matter what age you are, your muscle tissue can be strengthened and even regenerated with the right lifestyle changes. As we age, we naturally lose muscle, and after age 35 we can lose approximately 8 per cent of muscle per decade and this can almost double after the age of 70. Muscle loss can be accelerated by illness and can lead to an increased risk of falls and fractures, and delay recovery from illness. Our muscles play a vital role in our health at all stages of life, placing forces on our bones, producing physical strength, assisting in organ function, and boosting our immune system