#199: Why Strength Is the Secret to Aging Well

As we get older, strength becomes more than just how much we can lift — it’s the foundation for how we live.

 In this episode, I’m breaking down why strength truly is your superpower and how maintaining muscle can completely change the way you age.

You’ll learn:

• What happens to your body when you don’t protect your muscle
• How strength training supports bone health, balance, and confidence
• Why it’s never too late to start (your muscles remember!)
• And simple, practical ways to build and maintain strength — no matter your age

If you care about staying independent, vibrant, and active for years to come, this one’s for you.

If you're facing challenges on your midlife journey and need some guidance, I'm here to help. I'm currently opening slots for a few individuals to join my FREE 1:1 Coaching.

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Transcript

#199: Why Strength Is the Secret to Aging Well

 Hello. Hello. So we are focusing on like longevity and uh, today our focus will, for this week, our focus is strength is your superpower. And now sure, you've heard me talk about strength and how important it is, but I really, really want to, uh, go over. How, uh, by building muscle and maintaining your muscle mass, how it can really totally change the way that you age.

And I want you to understand this as to why it is so important for what you're doing. So strength helps you not just, it's not just about how we look, but by having, uh, the more strength that we have, it helps. With, uh, lifting, uh, shopping, getting up and down, being able to, um, get something from the top shelf is these basic movements that we need strength for.

And it is so important and it protects your body from injuries. So we want to focus on today is to why strength is your superpower and how you can use it to your advantage as we age and what will happen if we don't protect our muscle. And, um. They're little steps that you can start taking to stay strong and fit for life.

So the first thing I want to go over is a word called scar penia. Now it is, um, it may, you may have heard it before or you may not have, but it is the natural age, um, related loss of muscle, masses strength. So this starts to happen, um, at the age of 30. So if you are not act actively working on your muscle after 30, um, we start to lose a little percentage of it each year, and it starts to really accelerate once we get into our fifties and sixties, unless you're doing something about it.

So why it's so important to do your strength classes, which I know all you guys do. I just think it's important as well to the more that we can understand this, then the more we can understand why we are doing this. It's easier to be, have this reminder so that we know and we are not keeping up on things, so the less muscle that we have.

The harder it becomes to do everyday little things, basic things like walking up the stairs, standing up from a chair, um, being able to lift a grandchild. Um, but the thing is that losing muscle as you get older doesn't have to be something you accept. It is not inevitable. It can be changed. And strength training is, uh, the antidote to do that.

So, um, there's lots of studies that show adults that can build muscles well into their eighties and beyond, and it doesn't take hours in a gym or always lifting heavy weights. It just starts with consistency and intention and intention and making sure that we are doing this key movements and moving well.

So, um, there is a beautiful lady who only started training in her seventies and, um, I, Joan, her name is, and she started training in her seventies. She got off all of the medication that was she's on and, um, she's really, really. Inspiring and you know, it is not something that you have to, um, it is not something that we think, you know, society tends to lot us think that we are getting too old and that we can't do these things.

We, that we're old, but I'm really here to make sure that we are changing that thought process. Ma is so much more than just strength. Okay? So when we talk about muscle, um, most people think of your movement and yes, having muscle helps you move and lift things, but muscle is also doing. So much more behind the scenes that sometimes we're probably not aware of, firstly, your bone health.

So, um, when you strength train, we are putting stress on your bones in a good way. And, um, it's stimulating the body to build, um, and maintain our stronger bones. So that's hence why our always adding in your to bats because that little pounding is helping with that. Um, and increasing our, uh, muscle mass to protect our bones.

It can reduce the risk of things like osteoporosis and fractures. So again, the more muscle that we have is also going to protect us against balance and falls. So, um, your muscle, having more muscle and having muscle to protect you is going to keep you stable. And, uh, when our muscles are weak, um, it would lead leads to things like poor posture, uh, slower reaction times.

And unsteady footing and strength training improves your balance and your coordination, and it is really essential in preventing falls. Um, and falls is the number, the number one cause of injuries in older adults. Um, so having muscle also, um, keeps your metabolism alive and active. So the more lean muscle that you have, the more calories that you will be able to burn at rest.

So it helps regulate your blood sugar and improve your insulin sensitivity. So this is, uh, key factors in preventing diabetes and weight gain. So another reason why we want to, uh, really protect our muscle and make sure we have, um, have a good amount of muscle strength training, um, also helps boost our moods and it reduces anxiety and it helps with focusing.

So, uh, when we feel nice. A strong, you can move through life with confidence and independence. Now what The biggest thing I see as people age is they start to lose confidence in the way that their ability in their body, their, the way their body moves. So they think that they need to go slower and be more careful because they don't want to fall.

But sometimes when you're doing that, you're actually, it's actually, uh, doing more damage because. The more like, the more cautious you are sometimes the more you're leading yourself to, to fall over because you know, because you are, you are, you are treading. So, you know, like my grand, she, when she walks, she tries to take little steps, but the shuffling is actually really, really dangerous and the shuffle shuffling has caused her to fall.

So I want you to have confidence in how your body moves. And knowing that you can get up and down off the ground and that you can balance on one leg and you can do lots of things and, um, you may wonder why we're implementing this stuff, but it's so that whatever life throws at you, you'll be able to deal with it and be proud that you are part of a training group and you are prioritizing yourself and your body and prioritizing your muscle.

Let's look at what the cost is of not building our muscle. Let's think about this. So if we were not training our muscles, we would slowly be losing them. And when we start losing our muscle mass, uh, it's leading to more fatigue. More stiffness, a higher risk of injury and loss of independence. But the good news is that it is never too late to start, and your body is incredibly adaptive.

So whether you are 45 or 75, your muscles are really ready, ready to respond. They just need the right stimulus. The thing also is if whatever you had done previously, we have great muscle memory. So the things that you have done previously, your body will remember and you'll more likely get to that. Um.

Get, get back to where you were, even if it was 10, 20 years ago, you'll get back to there a lot sooner because you'd already built that up. So it's never, it is never too late and it is never, you know, it's just not something we should accept. It's not, we shouldn't accept that we can't. We can't build muscle or we can't, we just shouldn't accept it.

As I hear lots of people talk about things, talk about like, oh, it's, it's not, it's not for me, or it's too hard for me, or it doesn't happen. It's, that's, it's not the case. You, uh, it's just putting in the time, like, as I say, true strength is when we do something slow controlled. So putting in the time and putting our focus on, um, really making sure that we are focusing on, uh, lifting caviar weights or doing more reps.

And, um, because, because of those reasons that, you know, the, the number one, the loss of independence, you know, that's, that's not what, that's not what I want for anybody. So what can your strength training look like? Well, ultimately it would look like making sure that you're attending at least three strength classes a week.

Uh, when you're in the classes, it's make sure that you are, um. You know, so I do all the planning for you. I make sure that the exercises are going to challenge your muscles. Uh, you need to do the right thing in making sure that you are being mindful of what we are lifting. You know, we are thinking about, I'm doing a bicep curl here and I'm really focusing on my bicep and making sure I'm squeezing that and working that.

And be mindful of, uh, you know, what you eat after to help you fuel your recovery. Um, you know, we, uh, it doesn't need to be fancy. You can also add little bits in during your day, so never underestimate, you know, a little balance pose here while you're waiting for the kettle, um, to boil. Every little bit adds up, every little bit adds up.

So you, yeah, you can balance on one leg, um, while you're brushing your teeth or you know, you can do some little squats. What in the shower, any of those little things, um, those little things, they really, really do add up. So how can we put some of this stuff into action? So first of all, I really want you to think about where, where you would like to be.

Where would you like to be in 10, 20 years time? Now, I know we've spoke about this again before, but I'm here to remind you again. Where would you like to be and um, how would you like to be moving? So that's the focus and um, you know, that's the reason why you're attending these sessions, why you're trying to challenge your muscles and trying to lift, you know, I had years ago I had like, you know, a couple of ladies in the class and, and they just talked and, and you know, they just talked the whole time and they just lift and yes, I know I talk and it's lovely to chat.

Um. And, but there, there's a bit of a balance we need to understand. You know, you need to make sure you are lifting a heavier weight and your time is limited. And when I plan your sessions, I want you to get the maximum out of it, but I can only do so much. It's what you, how you, um, the weights that you lift, the, you know, the way that you're thinking about the muscle as.

As you were lifting a little mini action for the week for you guys, um, I want you to try to at least do your strength training sessions at least two to three times. So book into your classes and make sure you're attending a minimum of two to three times, um, strength classes. So add your other sessions on top of that, which might be some of the, uh, core classes or the, or the balance, uh, or the flexibility or the movement style ones.

Okay. That's on top. We need strength classes, which you're going to be lifting weights or, uh, you could, so that's one thing at one mini action for the week, or the second one is focus on improving one key movement. So let's think about on that one movement, let's say a chest press, I want you to lift a heavier.

Lift a heavier weight when you're doing that exercise or do a couple more reps of the same weight. So challenging, making sure that we are lifting a bit heavier and do something that feels really achievable. And like I said, every little bit counts, so adding little bits in throughout your day can actually make a huge difference into the overall result.

So to start to wrap up, I want to remember that strength isn't just physical, it is also emotional, mental. And essential for longevity. And every time you're training your muscles, you are investing in your future self, in your independence, your energy, and your ability to say yes to life. So please, um, prioritize that and.

And focus on understand. That's why you're doing it. I, I get it. It's sometimes hard to get up in the morning. It's hard to get up fit. That's the focus on this week, and it's really, uh, understanding why your strength is your superpower, and how it is something that you can be in charge of for, for longevity and for living independently for as long as possible.

Right? I'll speech next week.