Strength Training Benefits No One is Talking About
How many of you know someone who has fallen in their later years who never fully recovered?
My husband's grandmother fell off of the couch while she was sleeping about a year ago and fractured her pelvis. She is in her early 80's, she was living alone, cooked, cleaned...she was pretty independent with the exception of driving. Fast forward to today and she is not able to do any of those things. Like most stubborn folks in their 80s she absolutely refuses to go into a nursing home so between her 7 children she is never alone and all of those chores are handled amongst them (and not without some spat!) Since her fall her Parkinson's has taken over. She has gone from the minor, yet noticeable shakes to a complete brain fog and delusional by 3pm. Since her big fall she has take several other falls that have resulted in minor cuts, bruises and sprains...
All that to say....falling is no big deal in your youthful years, but as you mature those falls are more threatening than you may think. I fell down the stairs....like the whole flight of stairs....this week and it took me a few minutes to get up. Luckily, I came out of it with a bruised backside, but I still have a little youth on my side and my strength!
But let's not use the 31 year old as an example of someone who has recovered from a big fall. Let me tell you about what happens every single winter...
Every winter we have multiple clients who thank us, because they slip and fall on the ice and they get back up with little to no injury at all. It is NOT a coincidence. When you train your body to get up and down off the ground, it knows what to do when you need it the most. When you put your muscles and bones under controlled stress by strength training they have the ability to recover from the fall. Bone density is not given as we mature, it is earned. You have to put the work in to keep your bones healthy and strong and able withstand a fall. Going for a walk is not enough and does not compare to the benefits of strength training in the slightest.
Our demographic is primarily 50-70 years old with a few handfuls of the spring chickesn thrown into the mix :-). It is not too late to start. You are not too far gone, too out of shape or too overweight to get started on your journey toward aging with grace so you can continue to do the things you love to do and the things you need to do as you mature!