• Prevent injuries. Strong muscles not only help support your body for endurance exercises (such as running or biking), but they also help build stronger ligaments and tendons. This means you will be less likely to pull something during your daily activities, and nobody wants to have to explain how they pulled a muscle while sprinting for the bus.
• Boost brain power. We know how good it feels to be productive during the day. Did you know that strengthening your muscles can help with that? Any type of exercise will keep your brain healthy, but studies have found that resistance training can actually help even more - especially in older adults.
• Look good, feel good. Building muscle can improve your personal body image, and all-around confidence. You'll be walking taller (not only because muscle tone improves posture), and people will start asking: what is making them so happy lately?
• Make work more positive. If you're not always your happiest self at the office, studies have shown that lifting can make you feel more positive. Those good endorphins will be pumping through your body, and you'll most likely be sleeping much better - a big key in reducing stress. Studies suggest that weight lifting specifically can lead to a better nights sleep!
• Jump start that metabolism. Strength training will help you lose weight more effectively than with cardio alone, as it gives your metabolism a big kick of power. This means when binge-watching your favorite TV show your body is still working hard and burning fat. How great is that?

Any type of exercise is important with long-term health, but adding a little extra strength training to your routine will go a long way!