As much as I would like to think that it is, running is not the only exercise you should do to stay fit and healthy all your life. I mean, it can be your primary athletic choice but it needs to be supplemented by things like calisthenics, stretching and.....weight lifting.
Weightlifting, to me, is boring, it's something I have to force myself to do. But, I recognize the necessity and benefits of doing it, especially as I get older. Also, since when did everything you do for your health and longevity have to be 'fun' ?
The benefits of weight training are well documented. Of course, an important benefit for those of us who are getting older is that it helps deal with and slow the loss of muscle mass and tone.
Consider the following:
'The limited research in this area (weightlifting)suggests that men and women of middle age will respond to systematic progressive resistance with weights by becoming more powerful and more flexible, with more endurance and less fat. The reasons why this is true are rather complicated, having to do with the body's biochemical goings-on following the stressful exercise of this sort. Some of the studies indicate that one of the reasons workouts with weights cause middle-age men to gain more power and muscular shape then workouts of the jogging track or handball court may be that the stress of progressive resistance weight training causes the body to produce more then the normal amount of the male hormone, testosterone, whereas the stress of the other exercises doesn't." by Terry Todd.
As an aside, as I read the above it made me think of the older runners I've known over the years whose sole exercise was distance running, Too often I've seen poor posture, spindly arms and legs, as well as a slight paunch, even on the slim runners.. I'll be honest, they were (are) hardly the picture of health.
If you aren't lifting, now is the time to start, 20 to 30 minutes 3 times a week is all you need. It will make you a better overall athlete, no doubt about it.
10 minute slow warm-up, 15--100 meter strideouts with a 15 minute easy warm down--stretching after.
What did you do today?
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