I’m ageing. I’ve been ageing since the moment of my conception. But it is only in the last couple of years that I’ve been challenged by living in an older body.

It is a fact of life that we start to age at conception but for the first 30 to 35 years everything is up. And then we start to decline. Our maximum heart rate decreases which is the reason why elite athletes lose their edge as they move into their 4th decade. The body’s ability to replace bone tissue decreases, leading to a gradual loss of bone mass. And our muscle mass experiences the same fate, a process called sarcopenia. If that wasn’t enough to deal with metabolic and hormonal changes can result in an increase in body fat. We can’t stop our bodies ageing but we can slow the process down.

And I think I’m doing fairly well. To confirm this I recently had a Dexa scan. I’d last had one in February 2020 before the captivity of lockdowns and the onslaught of an overactive thyroid. DEXA is the acronym for “dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.” It is a test that measures bone density, muscle mass and body fat. Back in February 2020 my bone density and fat mass was good, my muscle mass excellent for a woman of my age. This time I was particularly interested in whether my bone density had been affected by another three years on warfarin and having an overactive thyroid. Both of which can reduce bone density. It was good news. My bone density hadn’t changed and my muscle mass was up slightly. But I’m too fat. Unfortunately my fat primarily wraps itself round my organs. Visceral fat is the most dangerous fat so I’m now chasing it down.

The DEXA scan technician/consultant was clear. The reason I’d maintained my bone density and muscle mass was the strength training I was doing.

When I reflect back I believe that taking up weight training was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I have the evidence that it has slowed down my ageing, it has improved how I look and the high of lifting heavy weights beats any drug.

My only regret is that I didn’t take it up before I went through the menopause. The opportunity to build bone density and muscle mass is far greater when oestrogen levels are high. But it is never to late to start. There is increasing evidence that starting weight training in your 70’s, 80’s and beyond will improve your health and fitness.

One shocking fact: If you are over 65, and you fall and break your hip, there is a 30-40% chance you will be dead in 12 months. Strength training will prevent the likelihood of falls. 

Unfortunately whilst there is overwhelming evidence of the benefits of strength training we still live in a society that believes that older people should slow down, take it easy. That if you are over 60 aches and pains are inevitable and that the only way to deal with them is to rest. There is a failure to acknowledge that it is often inactivity that is causing the aches and pains. 

I was talking to a friend a couple of days ago who had just attended a meeting of a well known diet franchise where chair exercises were being discussed. There was no evidence of frailty or poor mobility in the group so why chair exercises? They are certainly not going to build the lower body strength to prevent a fall. The body thrives when it is challenged. It is rejuvenated. Whether you are 30 or 60.

Which is why I have found Peter Attia’s approach to life span and longevity in his book ‘Outlive’ so refreshing. Attia is an American physician that specialises in longevity medicine. Medicine that focuses on how we live, not just how long. Without going into too much detail he gets his patients to list 10 activities they want to be doing at 80, 90 and a 100 years of age (their octogenarian decathlon). He then works backwards to identify what they need to be doing now given the inevitable loss of strength, endurance and mobility.

For a 40 year old woman he will aim to get her doing the following:

• Dead hang for 90 seconds 

• Carry 75% of body weight for 1 minute

• Deadlift body weight for 10 repetitions 

• Squat for 2 minutes 

For every decade after 40 the time/repetitions are reduced. 

This is very different from advocating chair exercises and will appear brutal even dangerous to some. But he does it gradually ensuring good form and stability. And it can take years. But all the time they are investing in their future health span.

Of course, I was quick to test how I shaped up. I’m pleased to report that I ticked all the boxes with no age reductions. 

Strength training is just so important if you want to age well. If it is not yet in your life, let it in. 

Finally, if you have any unexplained aches and pains please don’t blame it on your age. Or let anyone else blame it on your age. There will always be a reason. The most likely reason is your body craving movement. In The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter non-specific back pain is described as a ‘disease of captivity’. We no longer move the way our ancestors did but our bodies have yet to evolve to accommodate our sedentary lifestyles. A few thousand years should do it. In the meantime, motion is lotion.