How to Get Stronger as You Age

Hello Ziddis! As we grow older, we feel a sense of fear about our health, body, fitness and many more fleeting things in life. Ageing is a natural process and should not be feared so much, so how to accept it without living under the fear of declining strength and mobility? Here’s what you need to know about getting stronger as you age.

What to Expect as You Age

Ageing is not always a pretty process. Your body starts growing sluggish and you feel less energetic day by day. Here’s what you could expect feeling as you age, so you won’t be caught off guard.

• Muscle Loss: In most cases, our muscle mass starts to reduce by 3-8% every ten years after the age of 30. This could affect our strength and mobility to a great extent.
• Bone Density Decline: This is something that everyone faces after the age of 40-50, but more so in women because of their physiological and hormonal changes. This could cause brittle bones and osteoporosis
• Joint Stiffness: The cartilage wears down and the joints may lose flexibility over time. This could impact your mobility.
• Slower Metabolism: Ageing could also lead to either rapid weight gain or weight loss because of the slowing down of our metabolism or loss of appetite

These changes may seem daunting, but incorporating strength and mobility training into your routine can counteract many of these effects.

Importance of Strength Training for Adults

Now that we know what to expect as we age, how do we make sure that we are at the top of our game when ageing does catch up with us? Two words- Strength Training. Strength Training is not just for bodybuilders and youngsters. It is a critical necessity for healthy ageing. Here is why:

• Preserve Muscle Mass: As we know ageing impacts our muscle mass so strength training is a good choice of workout for the same.
• Boosts Bone Health: Strength training helps bones to grow stronger which reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
• Improves Metabolism: When you build muscles, your metabolic rate grows healthily.
• Enhances Daily Functionality: As we age, we start to feel weaker doing daily chores as simple as carrying a bag full of groceries up a fleet of stairs. Strength training helps ensure that does not happen.
• Supports Mental Well-being: Physical activity releases endorphins, reducing stress and boosting confidence.

Strength Training Exercises

As you age it is important to age gracefully while respecting your body’s limitations. Hence, these strength training exercises for ageing are perfect:

• Squats: To help lower body balance and mobility.
• Push-ups: Helps your core and balance
• Deadlifts: A lower-weight deadlift could help your body to enhance balance and muscle mass.
• Planks: Excellent for core stability and back pain
• Rows (using dumbbells or bands): Helps strengthen your back and improve posture.

Strength Training at Home

You don’t need a gym to get stronger! Here’s how to get started at home:

• Use filled bottles or plant pots to lift.
• Squats don’t require any specific instrument but if you want to up your squats game, hold a weighted
• Invest in a good yoga mat for core exercises so you don’t hurt your knees
• Boost your wellness with Creatine Monohydrate so that you are pumped up for the lifts and weighted walks. You can invest in some basic weights to tie around your foot while you do your daily chores around your home. This helps build strength and improve your mobility.
• Take membership in online classes so that you hold yourself accountable even in the comfort of your home and follow online workout tutorials for guided sessions.

Resistance Training for Longevity

Why would you need resistance training when you are already training to be stronger? That is because your body will get trained using external resistances like a band. For adults, resistance training can:

• Improve joint health
• Keep the cartilage well-oiled
• Enhances your coordination
• Improves bone health.

Mobility Training: Stay Flexible

While you are building strength and getting stronger it is important to make sure your body is also flexible. Mobility training is important to improve your range of motion and reduce the risk of locking your joints or stiffness. Here are some things you could try.

• Dynamic stretches
• Yoga
• Pilates
• Foam rolling
• Balance drills like parvatasana
• Tai chi movements
• Taekwondo

It is important that you keep your head clear and your mind calm when you do mobility training, so try Ashwagandha capsules to help your mind along with your body.

Takeaway

Getting stronger as you age isn’t about defying nature; it’s about embracing it with purpose and care. By prioritizing strength and mobility training, you can maintain independence, enhance your quality of life, and enjoy the confidence that comes with feeling strong and capable. Start small, stay consistent, and celebrate your progress- you’ve got this!