“JUST get moving.” This simple message is becoming widespread. It’s great advice for health, fitness, and wellbeing — offering a simple, accessible path to improving our lives.
Backed by research, the benefits of increasing daily step counts can’t be overstated: every extra 1,000 steps we take reduces the risk of early mortality by about 12%.
These benefits can even occur at levels below the popular target of 10,000 steps per day, particularly for older adults. The life-changing benefits aren’t at the top of a mountain or out of reach for anyone: just get moving.
But while walking provides an accessible and impactful form of aerobic exercise, it’s only part of the picture. Ideally, we should be moving — and lifting.
Forgive the repetition from previous articles; it’s intentional, as uptake of strength training, whether gym-based or bodyweight exercises, remains tiny by comparison. Over a third of adults meet the recommended guidelines for aerobic exercise, yet only around 5% achieve the weekly targets for both cardio and strength training.
Stronger for Life
Strength training is often left out of conversations around healthy ageing, despite offering a suite of benefits that cardio alone cannot provide. It might sound intimidating initially, but just 90 minutes per week of basic strength exercises can maintain the physical foundation that keeps us independent and engaged with life, while also reducing the risk of injury and protecting brain health.
The sobering truth is that after about age 30, muscle mass begins a gradual decline, accelerating in our sixties and seventies. Even short periods of inactivity — due to illness, for example — can cause muscle and strength loss equivalent to years of natural ageing.
For the 95% of people not yet lifting, the good news is that building muscle doesn’t have to mean heavy weights or a gym membership. There are accessible, effective ways to maintain and build strength. And it’s worth it: strength training is one of the most effective ways to prevent frailty and physical decline, helping maintain independence and your joie de vivre.
Muscle as a Savings Account
Maintaining muscle and strength isn’t about aesthetics or brute strength; it’s about resilience. Think of muscle as a savings account, something you can draw upon when needed. Strength training’s benefits go far beyond physical capability, extending into cognitive and metabolic health. Resistance training has been shown to reduce inflammation, enhance brain function, and create the conditions for adaptability and cognitive acuity.
Muscle also supports metabolic health by regulating blood sugar, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, and improving insulin sensitivity — both of which become increasingly critical as we age.
Perhaps most visibly, strength training protects against falls and fractures by building bone density and joint stability. It also preserves the ability to perform our everyday tasks: carrying groceries, climbing stairs, and getting up from a chair. When muscle declines with age, it’s not just strength that’s lost — it’s independence.
There are accessible, effective ways to maintain and build strength. And it’s worth it: strength training is one of the most effective ways to prevent frailty and physical decline, helping maintain independence and your joie de vivre
— Rory Girvan
Just Get Lifting
Strength training is about finding what works for you and building it into a sustainable routine. Simple bodyweight exercises, yoga, or Pilates are highly effective starting points.
Consistency is key. Just two short sessions per week can yield meaningful improvements in strength and balance. Progress gradually: a wall push-up, for instance, can evolve into pushing off a countertop, then to a full push-up on the floor. Strength training doesn’t have to be complex or intimidating. Focus on one or two movements that fit easily into your lifestyle. Start small, and gradually increase the load, reps and sets.
Recover to Adapt
To grow stronger, recovery is as important as the training itself. Nutrition, particularly protein intake, plays a central role. As we age, our bodies require more protein to repair and maintain muscle tissue.
More: 10,000 steps a day adds years to your life - and life to your years
Incorporating protein-rich foods like Greek yoghurt, eggs, lean meats and legumes supports muscle function and energy. Breakfast is often the lowest-protein meal of the day, but adding a protein source in the morning can make a difference. Timing protein intake after exercise can also aid recovery, maximising the effectiveness of each training session.
Real-World Benefits
There are countless stories of older adults finding renewed physical and mental wellbeing through strength training. Beyond the research, these benefits are seen every day with real people in our communities. Our team at HENCH have had the privilege of witnessing many these transformations firsthand: from a lady in her sixties climbing every peak in the Mournes, to another in her 70s who sailed to the Faroes, and even a gentleman who began lifting twice a week in his late eighties whose attitude inspires me to this day.
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I have a more recent personal experience with this. Every Sunday morning this year, I’ve been coaching my parents and uncle, all in their seventies. What started as a New Year’s resolution to stealthily guide them towards hitting the recommended dose of resistance training per week has resulting in them transforming their own daily lives. They’re lifting weights, learning new skills, moving with greater confidence, and embracing fitness habits that may not have developed otherwise. Not everyone will have access to a strength coaching, but their story isn’t unique — age doesn’t have to be a barrier to anyone becoming stronger.
Strength Training: The Missing Piece
While recommendations like step counts have long dominated public health advice, strength training is finally being recognised as crucial for healthy ageing. For those already walking or hitting their cardio goals, adding strength training could be the next step.
Strength training offers benefits beyond the steps you take each day. It builds the physical foundation that allows us to keep moving — independently, and with vitality — long into the future. It’s not just about adding years to your life, but life to those years.
