Build the Body You'll Need at 85.

Why do so many people ignore the one thing that could be the game changer when we reach our golden years? The one thing that helps us function independently, stay out of a nursing home against our will, and continue performing basic activities of daily living? Why do we drift into our final decade battling frailty, immobility, weakness, health challenges, osteoporosis, and declining independence?

Why?

Train for your golden years

We need to change our entire mindset. We need to start training again. Not for a contest. Not for a marathon or a pickleball tournament. No, we need to start training for our later years now, as deliberately as athletes prepare for competition. Why? For the prize of a physically capable, fulfilling, and independent life, even in the golden years.

If you want to reach it, you have to train for it.

But how do you train for this centenarian event? You could make a list of everything you want to keep doing as you age. You could list the 10 most important things you still want to be able to do in your 80s, even your 90s, then reverse-engineer the possibilities, like the movie Paycheck. Or you could move forward with the one thing that will keep you healthy, active, and independent into your golden years: your strength.

Strength is the common denominator

Every now and then, you see little snippets on the internet about living longer. It might be standing up from the floor without using your hands. It might be standing on one leg or getting up from a chair within a certain period of time. None of these things really predict anything. But they all have a common denominator: strength.

If you lose strength, you also lose balance. Your body undergoes atrophy if you are young and inactive. But in the golden years, it is called sarcopenia: the gradual loss of muscle and strength as you age. Only it started in your mid-30s, and you did not realize it until you suddenly could not walk up that flight of stairs without huffing and puffing, or when that 50-pound bag of softener salt became too heavy. Unlike atrophy, your muscle and strength loss accelerates as you age. It robs you of your fast-twitch muscle, which is where your size, tone, speed, and strength came from.

That youthful muscle is replaced by fat or fibrous tissue. Your bones become less dense, leading to osteoporosis, and your joint cartilage breaks down, leading to more stiffness. With inactivity, you notice your physical performance declining. Less stamina. Lower metabolic rate. Easier weight gain. More need for naps. Your nervous system slows down too. Reaction times suffer, balance is compromised, and the risk of falls increases. To make matters worse, you lose mitochondria, those tiny powerhouses in the cells that make energy. That not only affects your energy levels, but it also affects how and where your body gets its energy.

And the kicker? It does not have to decline anywhere close to that speed. It declines because we neglect the one thing we should be doing to change our golden years from an unhappy existence into cocoon-like youth again: our strength.

Train smarter, not harder

Of course, it is not just strength. It is maintaining fast-twitch muscle, and that requires work. In the gym, we have to lift at least 75% of our one-rep maximum, and that is hard. But that is why there is an alternative. That is why we have Whole-Body Vibration Training (WBVT). The whole crux behind WBVT is that it stimulates fast-twitch muscle because the gentle vibrations penetrate into 30% more fiber than regular weightlifting.

So, in reality, we do not need to train harder, just smarter. Without WBVT, people will need to make you jump, lift heavy weights, and reach what is called volitional failure within about 70 seconds of exercise. But with WBVT, you can accomplish the same as doing three sets of weightlifting in just one set. And actually, it is better than that. But if I told you how good it really worked, you would never believe it!

The stronger you stay, the longer you live

The whole point is simple. If you still want to dance in your 80s, make sure you hold onto your strength and your balance now. You must invest in your youth to enjoy your health and your retirement. But I am not talking cardio. I am talking strength. A study in 2022 in JAMA found that resistance training was linked to a 10-17% lower risk of all-cause mortality, independent of cardiovascular activity.

Another study, also in JAMA in 2023, found that women with higher grip strength and those who completed five unassisted sit-to-stand chair raises had significantly lower death risk over an 8-year follow-up.

Another study published in the Journal of Men’s Health in 2022 found that for every 5 kg decrease in grip strength, the chance of mortality increased 16%. Many other studies have found similar findings. The stronger you stay, the longer you live.

But it is not really about living longer. It is about enjoying life, independence, and social interaction. And to enjoy that, you need to be strong and active.

Stay in the fight

Do not resign yourself to declining health and strength. You did not earn that rocking chair because you made it to retirement. You earn your place by keeping in the fight, staying healthy for yourself and your family. But keep in mind, whether you are 25 or 65, the sooner you start working on your strength, the greater the odds that you will enjoy it in later life.

Aging is inevitable. Frailty and disease are not.