“Which is more important for healthy aging: exercises that work the heart and lungs, or muscle- pumping strength training? Both are valuable, of course, but many experts now say strength training may be the key to preventing disability as you age. Declining muscle mass not only undermines your physical strength but also contributes to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and other chronic illnesses by slowing the body’s metabolic rate, encouraging the accumulation of fat. A recent study of about 9,000 men ages 20 to 82, for example, found that those with the greatest leg and arm strength were nearly 25 percent less likely to die prematurely than those with the least strength. The benefits of muscle strength stood out even after accounting for differences in aerobic fitness, suggesting that muscle training provides benefits beyond helping with heart and lung endurance.”
Consumer Reports outlines why strength training is important:
-Pumps up the heart
-Wards off diabetes
-Builds bone
-Prevents cancer
-Increases moblity

For the whole article follow the link below…

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101902901.html