This is a very common question in today's society that has been sensitized to the illegal use of performance enhancing drugs in sports and from many of the health warnings that go along with the supplements that bodybuilders use. So is bodybuilding healthy? Or better yet, can it be healthy? Well lets take a few moments to try to answer that question.
First of all you have to evaluate your goals. Are you considering bodybuilding for the purpose of competition or looking good? Or do you just want to be stronger, more fit, better at a sport? These are very different options and can be attained at very different levels of dedication. The first is much harder to achieve and because of this there is a greater temptation to push the limit and try things that are unnatural and potentially unhealthy. The second is just like anything that you do in moderation, a good and very healthy thing. It doesn't require as much dedication or specialty training and isn't nearly as hard to achieve. So let's hope and assume you are choosing the second of the two options what are the benefits?
The first and major benefit is that you gain strength through bodybuilding. Strength is very important because it protects your joints and bones from damage due to trauma or repetitive type injuries. Lifting weights has also been shown to increase and maintain bone density, an especially important thing for older women who have to pay a lot of attention to preventing osteoporosis and all of the pain and risk involved with that disease. Increased strength also means increased muscle mass which is good for several reasons.
First muscle is the great regular of glucose metabolism. It is very sensitive to the effects of insulin and helps the body to maintain normal glucose levels and decreases the risks of diabetes mellitus. Muscle also has a very high rate of metabolism and is a very efficient consumer of calories that are stored up in fat cells. This makes it easier to maintain your weight and to avoid all of the harmful effects of obesity and high body fat.
So if you were considering bodybuilding please save yourselves a lot of trouble while at the same time squeezing the maximum potential for enjoyment of this life by doing it in a healthy fashion. Don't use steroids but do get to the gym and pump someiron.