“I used to prioritize nutrition over everything else, but now I consider exercise to be the most potent longevity “drug” in our arsenal, in terms of lifespan and health span. The data are unambiguous: exercise not only delays actual death but also prevents both cognitive and physical decline, better than any other intervention.” Dr Peter Attia in his book Outlive
I feel like that statement above could be enough for this newsletter. But far be it from me to be brief Lol.
What I want to add to that statement is simply to draw attention to the fact that he said lifespan AND health span. What is the point in living a long life if you live it in pain or depressed or physically unable to participate. This is where exercise becomes magic. It not only helps you live longer, it helps you live better. Let’s recap just some of the ways resistance training specifically can help you live longer and better!
Fun Facts about Weight Training
- a stronger core results in better posture, which results in less back, shoulder and neck pain
- 60% of people who weight train get an average of 7 hours or more of good quality sleep per night
- weight training lowers bad cholesterol and blood pressure
- adding just 2 weight training sessions per week can reduce body fat by 7%
- weight lifting boosts dopamine and serotonin, making it a natural antidepressant
- by 80 years old, sedentary people will lose 50% of their muscle mass, weight training can stop, prevent and reverse muscle loss
- strength training creates better body mechanics making your more coordinated, have better balance and less overall pain and more mobility.
Still don’t buy the hype? Maybe you’ll listen to Dr Keith Baar, Professor at the Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology in the UC-Davis School of Medicine:
“The big thing that we know is that if you’re in the strongest third of the population, you’re two-and-a-half times more likely to make it to your hundredth birthday, and that’s if you’re in the strongest third of the population at midlife. If you’re in your 50s and you’re one of the strongest 50-year-olds, you’re two and a half times more likely to make it to 100. In humans, the number one correlate with longevity seems to be muscle mass and strength because basically the stronger you are the more you can survive certain diseases.”
But shockingly, lifting only helps those who commit to it on a regular basis, and statistics indicate that barely 17% of older individuals regularly lift weights.
So, if you are already lifting regularly, good for you! You are in a brilliant minority group, those that don’t take their health for granted. Those that know they only get one body and we sure as heck should take care of it.
If you aren’t committed to a regular resistance training program trust me when I say you are not too old, it is not too late, you’re right on time.
Ready to start? Give us a call, we would love to work with you.
xo Christine
