Did you know that grip strength is a fantastic indicator of how long you will live?  It can be a better predictor than blood pressure.  It surprised me too! The reason that people have higher grip strength is because they habitually lift heavy things and generally have more muscle mass and muscle strength.

So why is being stronger good for you?  There are many reasons, here are a couple of the positive impacts being stronger will have for you.

A study in 2021 found that muscles are great at absorbing blood sugar.  The impact of this is that it will help reduce the chances of type 2 diabetes.  The more muscle mass you have, the greater the benefit.

As you age, one of the worst things that can happen to you is to break a hip.  A large number of people will die within a year of this happening, many more will lose a lot of the mobility they previously had.  Being strong is a great way to protect yourself from falling, and even if you fall, it can protect your bones against breaking.

One last thing about your bones, particularly if you are female.  Osteopenia and osteoporosis (weakening of the bones), can be prevented or even reversed with the right sort of strength training.

The key to getting stronger is to lift weights, but to do this most effectively you need to lift heavy weights.  For many people going to a gym is the best way, there are a few to choose from in Taunton for example. But you need to be able to lift safely, this is where a personal trainer, such as myself, can help.  Technique is important to prevent injury.

If a gym or personal trainer doesn’t work for you then one thing you can do is to carry your (heavy) shopping bags to the car, don’t use the trolley.

If you are worried that you will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger, then don’t.  You would have to go to the gym a lot and do very specific exercises for that.  What you might notice though is that your body tones up, that’s not a bad thing is it?

So my message to you this week is lift, and lift heavy … but safely!