THAT Is What We’re Training For
Yesterday I had a conversation with a client that I haven’t stopped thinking about.
She was telling me about her weekend. She and her husband lugged around PVC pipe. She did an insane amount of gardening. She tackled a bunch of other physically demanding work around the house.
While she was telling me about some of the fascia and joint discomfort she was experiencing, I stopped her for a second and reminded her of something:
Do you realize how impressive it is that you’re almost 70 years old and you’re ABLE to do all of that?
We have to stop looking at strength training as something we do just to look better.
This woman has consistently strength trained for more than TEN YEARS.
And now, at 69, she can lift things, carry things, garden, work around her property and recover well enough to keep living her life.
That’s the payoff.
Not just a smaller pants size.
Not just more muscle definition.
Not just what you see in the mirror.
Independence.
And this matters for BOTH women and men.
According to the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation, about 1 in 2 women and up to 1 in 4 men over age 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis.
CDC data found that among adults 50 and older, about 51.5% of women and 33.5% of men have low bone mass at the femur neck or lumbar spine, a stage that can precede osteoporosis.
Falls are also the leading cause of injury for adults 65 and older.
This isn’t just a women’s issue, and it isn’t something you suddenly start thinking about when you’re 70.
The work starts NOW.
Muscle strengthening and weight bearing exercise are important pieces of maintaining strong bones. Strength training also gives you something a DEXA scan can’t fully capture:
The ability to get off the floor.
Carry your groceries.
Work in your garden.
Move furniture.
Pick up your grandchildren.
Climb stairs.
Catch yourself when you stumble.
And continue doing the things you love without constantly needing someone else to do them for you.
THAT is what we’re training for.
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