Did You Know? Strength Training is Key to Long Life

Why Strength Training Is Key to a Long Life

The article 7 Reasons Why Strength Training Is Key to a Long Life, by Stephen Perrine with Heidi Skolnik (AARP, May 13, 2022) suggests that “In just one hour a week, you can change your health and increase your longevity.” This article presents good evidence that the secret to staying strong and vital for life is in your muscles. Physical exercise is something we stress over and over as being beneficial for seniors, especially for the health of muscles, bones, the cardiovascular system, and the brain. Following are highlights from the article, or click here to read the full piece.

1. Researchers found that just 30 to 60 minutes a week of muscle-strengthening or “resistance” exercise increased life expectancy by 10 to 17 percent. 
2. Studies show that when people in their 60s combined a style of eating known as “protein timing” with resistance exercise, their bodies respond as if they were in their 20s. 
3. For every 1-point increase in muscle strength, a subject’s risk of Alzheimer’s dropped by 43 percent.
4. Higher levels of muscular strength were associated with a reduced risk of developing high blood pressure among men with prehypertension.
5. The greater your muscular strength, the lower your levels of inflammatory compounds, which may also help to lower your risk of heart disease.
6. Breast cancer patients with high muscle mass have a greater chance of surviving the disease than those who have lower muscle mass, according to a study of 3,241 women (median age: 54) with stage 2 or 3 invasive breast cancer.
7. A study of 3,000 adults ages 54 to 89 found that having a strong grip was inversely associated with symptoms of depression.

If you haven’t started already, it’s time to make your muscles a top priority. Make sure you’re getting 25 to 30 grams of protein at every meal, and talk to your doctor about starting a muscle-building fitness program.

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Did you know that Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) is the longest-serving VNA in the state of New Jersey? So we know a thing or two about healthy aging and how to successfully “age in place” while avoiding hospitalization and nursing homes. We suggest that you learn more about our home health care services and make a plan to age at home before you have a health emergency.
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Medicare and supplemental insurance often do not cover all the care our patients and caregivers need. If you would like to help, please visit vnannj.org/donate or call VNA Foundation at 973-451-4148.

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The Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) is a leading provider of comprehensive home health care services in Morris, Hunterdon, Sussex, Warren, Somerset, and Passaic Counties in Northern New Jersey. Established in 1898, generations have known that just one call to VNA opens the door to quality, patient-centered home health care solutions that allow patients to remain in the comfort of their homes with dignity, health, and independence.

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