The Fitness Feed - Strength for Longevity
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What actually Is Strength?
Strength is the ability of your muscles to produce force. It enables you to lift bags of shopping, climb stairs, get up from a chair, carry your child (or grandchild), or brace yourself during a fall. It supports your joints, powers your daily movements, and builds resilience in your entire body. It's more than just muscle mass or gym performance. Strength is a vital sign of health.
Why is Strength important?
Improved Functional Ability
Everyday life requires physical effort. Opening jars, walking uphill, gardening or picking up a pet all demand muscular strength. The stronger you are, the easier and more efficient these tasks become. Strong people don’t just move better, they live better.
Injury Prevention
Strong muscles stabilize your joints and support good posture, reducing your risk of injury. As you become stronger, you are better able to support your body so your risk of falling reduces. One study has shown a 34% reduction in falls among those who participated in a well-rounded exercise programme including resistance training. Cite study
It increases your bone strength
Weight bearing exercises work your muscles which puts temporary stress on your bones, sending a message to bone-building cells to take action and rebuild stronger. This reduces your risk of osteoporosis, fractures, and falls, especially as you age. As women are more at risk of osteoporosis, it is very important for females to undertake some resistance training as part of their fitness programme
Mental Toughness and Confidence
Building strength builds confidence. There’s a mental clarity and toughness that develops when you consistently push your physical limits. Research even shows that resistance training can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Metabolic Health
Muscle mass plays a critical role in regulating blood sugar, improving insulin sensitivity, and maintaining a healthy weight. Stronger people tend to have better metabolic health profiles and are less likely to develop conditions like type 2 diabetes. Also, having more muscle mass increases your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) which is the number of calories you burn performing life sustaining functions (such as breathing and beating your heart). This means you are burning more calories when at rest.
When is strength it important?
It is important to remember that life isn't just about the number of years we live. It should be about the quality of those years. Is living to the ripe old age of 100 as desirable if from the age of 65 you are not strong enough to do the things you enjoy? In his book, Outlive, Peter Attia stated, “I think of strength training as a form of retirement saving. Just as we want to retire with enough money saved up to sustain us for the rest of our lives, we want to reach older age with enough of a “reserve” of muscle (and bone density) to protect us from injury and allow us to continue to pursue the activities that we enjoy. It is much better to save and invest and plan ahead, letting your wealth build gradually over decades, than to scramble to try to scrape together an individual retirement account in your late 50s and hope and pray that the stock market gods help you out. Like investing, strength training is also cumulative, its benefits compounding. The more of a reserve you build up, early on, the better off you will be over the longer term”. Having said that, it is never too late to start!
Why Strength Is Essential for Longevity
Preservation of Muscle Mass with Age
Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass, begins as early as your 30s. By the time you’re 70, you may have lost up to 50% of your muscle mass if you don’t actively maintain it. This loss isn't just about looking frail; it directly impacts mobility, independence, and lifespan.
Fall and Fracture Prevention
Falls are one of the leading causes of injury and death in older adults. Strong muscles and better balance reduce the risk of falling and improve your ability to recover if you do. Strength literally saves lives.
Enhanced Longevity Metrics
Multiple studies show that grip strength, leg strength, and muscle mass are strongly correlated with longer life expectancy. In fact, strength may be a better predictor of mortality than blood pressure or BMI.
Independence and Quality of Life
What good is a long life if it’s lived in a bed or wheelchair? Strength allows you to stay active, travel, play with grandchildren, do your own shopping, and live on your own terms.
The Bottom Line
Strength is not a luxury. It’s not just for athletes, bodybuilders, or the young social media influencers. It’s a core part of our physical and mental health, our ability to function, and our longevity.
Investing in your strength is investing in your future self. Because strong people don’t just live longer, they live better.