My doctor and therapists were complete fucking failures at getting my left hand recovered, so grip strength there is poor, mainly because they never cured my spasticity!
Want to live a longer, healthier life? Science says start picking up heavy things
Building muscle strength—no matter how old you are—can help you crack the longevity code.
If you work out, your goal is probably to feel better. And maybe look better.
Toss one more benefit into the mix: Fitness, particularly strength, can also help you live longer. According to a study published in Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, higher handgrip strength is associated with an up to 10 percent lower risk of common noncommunicable diseases and mortality.
While 10 percent may not sound like much, participants in the highest quintile (top 20 percent) enjoy nearly 25 percent less risk than those in the lowest quintile.
But there is a catch. The researchers focused on participants’ genetic predisposition to greater muscle strength. Some people are born stronger. Some respond more quickly, and dramatically, to muscle-building activities. (Neither of which describes me: When I worked on my grandfather’s farm in high school, he often told me I was “weak as a cat.”)
So, yeah: Where muscle strength is concerned, genetics can make a significant difference.
Even so, genetics are a predisposition, not an outcome. I lift weights five to six days a week and am stronger, and have greater endurance, than the average person of my age and size. Sure, I like being relatively trim. And I like feeling relatively fit.
At this point, though, I mostly care about longevity. Plenty of studies (here’s one, published in British Journal of Sports Medicine) show a link between strength training and increased longevity. The same is true for cardio workouts: According to a study published in PLOS Medicine, brisk walking for an hour can give you 3.2 hours of extra life, while an hour spent jumping rope can give you 11 hours of extra life.
When my time seems to be drawing near, I don’t want to look back and wish I had worked out more; at that point, too late will truly be too late. I also worry about dementia. I haven’t gone all Chris Hemsworth and taken a DNA test to find out if I have Alzheimer’s or dementia biomarkers, but my family history definitely indicates a predisposition.
I can’t change my genes, but I can change what I do. A 2020 study published in Neurology found that adopting four out of five of the basic healthy habits — don’t smoke, drink in moderation, exercise an average of 30 minutes a day, eat healthy, and maintain a healthy bodyweight — decreases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 60 percent compared with people who adopt none or one. A Harvard study found that even light exercise is associated with reduced risk.
I figure if a little is good, a lot is better.
If you’re interested in the underlying science, muscles release myokines, chemicals that produce a number of health benefits, including altering brain chemistry. (In simple terms, resistance training stimulates myokine production.)
That’s why I work out. I want to do the best I can with what my genetics allow. I want to live longer, and I want to increase my health span.
Alive is good, alive and healthy is better.
That’s also why I push myself: A study published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine found that people in their 60s and 70s who do heavy resistance training — somewhere between six to 12 reps at 70 to 85 percent of your one-rep max — reported no loss of muscle strength or size, while those who did moderate to light resistance training continued to lose muscle strength and size.
I’ve seen the effects of cognitive decline, both on the person and on the people who care for them, and want to stay as sharp as I can for as long as possible.
And I’m guessing you do too.
So start picking up heavy things. You’ll be glad you did.
This post originally appeared at inc.com.
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