My husband’s doctor is Dr. Frank Shallenberger, a homeopathic doctor located in Carson City, Nevada.  Recently he has had to visit the doctor twice a week so I tag along and get some of my overdue reading in.  On his last visit I forgot my book and, looking for something to read, I picked up Dr. Shallenberger’s newsletter and found this intriguing article he wrote, ‘Strong Women Live Longer’.  I am going to recreate it word for word as I think it has some interesting information.  As always, this is information only and you can take it or leave it.

“If you’re an older woman, I’d like to encourage you to be different than most of your peers.  As of 2020, according to the CDC, only 17.2% of women aged 65 years and older met the federal guidelines for muscle-strengthening physical activity at least two days per week.  I hope you’re not out there thinking that you can get by with supplements, weight control, looking good, and an “active” lifestyle while your strength goes down the tubes.  According to a new study, that is not a good game plan.

To do the study, the researchers examined the strength of 5,472 women aged 63 to 99 years.  The women completed two strength tests and wore pedometers [devices that count total steps] for a week to determine their overall activity level.  The strength tests consisted of dominant hand grip strength and the number of seconds it took the women to stand up from a chair five times without using their arms.  After the tests and steps were measured, they followed the women for an average of 8.4 years.  Here’s what happened.

During the time, 1,964 of them died.  Those who were in the 25% of women who had the lowest grip strength were 33% more likely to die than those in the 25% of women who had the strongest grip strength.  Similarly, those who took 16 or more seconds to do the chair stands were 37% more likely to die than those who could do it in 11 or fewer seconds.  The authors put it this way: ‘In this cohort study of 5,472 women aged 63 to 99 years, two common strength tests were associated with significantly lower mortality risk after controlling for socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, accelerometer-measured physical activity and sedentary behavior, and timed walk.  Muscle strength was associated with lower mortality even in women not meeting guideline-recommended activity levels.  These findings suggest that assessing strength and promoting its maintenance are instrumental for optimal aging.’

The researchers noted that the results were consistent regardless of walking speed, sedentary time, systemic inflammation, race and ethnicity, obesity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and sedentary time.  In other words, it didn’t matter how aerobically fit or active the women were; if they were weak, they were much more likely to die.  So, let’s put this in perspective.

The fact that only 17.2% of women aged 65 and older meet the Federal Guidelines for Muscle-Strengthening Physical Activity is terrible! But don’t get too cocky, gentlemen.  Men were only 4.8% better.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am not worried about my readers.  They know too much about the importance of muscular strength to ignore it.  But please pass this startling study on to any of your friends who don’t know how important strength is for health and quality of life.  It doesn’t take much.  Encourage them to join a gym, hire a trainer for strength training, and make it a permanent part of their healthy living, disease-preventing game plan.”

We are all going to die, but when Dr. Shallenberger refers to dying I think he is talking about dying earlier than the norm.  I think he is really more concerned about quality of life.  We all want to be able to hang out with our children, grandchildren, family and friends without missing out because we are too tired or don’t feel well. Building strength is a way to increase your quality of life.

And if you are a reader and not in that 65+ age group, know that you will eventually get there and this is a good awareness check for you.  When you start earlier, it is easier to have that healthy habit when you do reach that age.

I tried the chair test.  It took me 11 seconds to stand five times without using my hands.  I do go to workout classes twice a week that includes weight training.  I use 5 lb. dumbbell weights right now, but my goal is to be up to 8 lb. dumbbell weights by the end of the year.  That means I need to increase my workouts to three to four times a week. 

If weight training doesn’t interest you, you can add weight to your daily walks by adding ankle weights or even hand weights.  You can start out with light weights and keep adding weight as you are become stronger.

And regarding the challenge to lose 5 lbs. by 1 June – I only lost 2 lbs. But I am not going to be discouraged because summer is here and I can add a lot more outdoor activity to burn those calories.  I have been averaging about 8k steps daily, but this month I want to up it to 10k.

Let me know about your goals and the challenges you have had.  Do you have any secret tricks you want to share?  I hope Dr. Shallenberger’s article gives you some ideas to help you on your way to good health and quality of life.

So, until the next blog

A Santé