There’s a vast difference between correlation and causation. Just because one thing shows up time and again does not mean that there is a cause and effect relationship between what is happening and what is seen. 

One of the often cited correlations in the world of health and fitness in relation to longevity is that of grip strength: there is a direct correlation between having a stronger hand grip and how long someone lives for. Does that mean that I should be doing loads of grip strengthening exercises?

Not at all. The correlation is definitely there, and shows up time and again in many scientific studies. However, having a strong grip is not the cause of longevity. It is far more likely that having a stronger grip is a symptom of having a stronger upper body through doing either lots of manual labour or gym work (or both!), which in turn means that the person with the firmer handshake is overall healthier and more robust leading to their increased age.

Similarly there is a correlation between age, falling over and broken hips, which is not a great thing. Does old age mean that you are more likely to fall over, and subsequently break an important piece of your skeletal system? Possibly, but you don’t have to add to those statistics.

Our muscular strength and power do decline with age, but we can slow that decline down and even reverse it in some cases with resistance training. Maintaining lower body muscular strength and power is vital for being able to enjoy basic daily activities, especially as we get older.

Does that mean I have to do barbell back squats and deadlifts to stop this decline? Not if you don’t want to. But you do have to do some physical activity and that includes resistance training. In other words you are going to have to do some physically hard things to be able to make the rest of life easier.

Another correlation that gets bandied about is that of being able to sit and stand from the floor without using your hands ties in with a long, active life. If you are about to try that out, not many people can do this by the way (including the person writing this newsletter, who does a lot of leg strengthening exercises!). 

What it does mean though is that in order to be able to get out of a chair, or climb a flight of stairs, or be able to walk for pleasure in a few decades time, you will need to start strengthening your lower body musculature – your hips and legs – soon. 

So the quote at the top of this page is very apt indeed. Doing physically hard things now is a great way to make life easier in the future. And that includes all three facets of strength – basic strength in itself, power to move quickly and produce muscular force faster, and muscular endurance to be able to do things for a prolonged period of time.

I’d love to have a chat with you about how we can slow the decline into old age and decrepitude. Living older and really living life to the fullest is the aim. Let’s see if we can help you do that. Get in touch at a time and date that works for you. I’m waiting for your call!