Aerobics + strength = 40% less mortality

Investment Analysis Clubs Macro Economic Trends and Risks
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A big study, a significant impact.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/well/move/cardio-strength…

**People Who Do Strength Training Live Longer — and Better**

**A consensus is building among experts that both strength training and cardio? are important for longevity.**

**By Rachel Fairbank, The New York Times, Aug. 24, 2022**

**...**
**In a new study published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers found that while doing either aerobic exercise or strength training was associated with a lower risk of dying during the study’s time frame, regularly doing both — one to three hours a week of aerobic exercise and one to two weekly strength training sessions — was associated with an even lower mortality risk....**

**For the study, researchers used National Health Interview Survey data, which followed 416,420 American adults recruited between 1997 and 2014.** [Now, THAT’s what I call a data set! --W] **...**

**After adjusting for factors such as age, gender, income, education, marital status and whether they had chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease or cancer, researchers found that people who engaged in one hour of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity a week had a 15 percent lower mortality risk. Mortality risk was 27 percent lower for those who did three hours a week. But those who also took part in one to two strength-training sessions per week had an even lower mortality risk — a full 40 percent lower than those who didn’t exercise at all. This was roughly the difference between a nonsmoker and someone with a half-a-pack-a-day habit....** [end quote]

Here’s the link to the study. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2022/08/10/bjsports-2022-…

I like the clear metric: Either a person was alive or dead. Similar results were observed for men and women and for individuals younger and older than 60 years.

Strength training has obvious benefits for the elderly. We have to be able to stand up from a chair, to have enough strength to maintain balance and prevent falls.

I’ve done strength training since age 20. But it’s necessary to be consistent to avoid injury. I hurt my back last weekend doing an exercise I did routinely but skipped for a few weeks. Ouch!

I usually do 2 hours of strength training and 4 hours of aerobic dancing (Zumba) per week. Live instruction is available over Zoom but there are also lots of good, free YouTube videos.

This has Macro impact because of the large numbers and great potential savings on health care.

Wendy

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The chances of death are 100% for all groups

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The chances of death are 100% for all groups

Except that the article specifically states that the mortality rates were for the time frame used in the study…approximately 17 years (1997-2014)

Quite apart from the mortality stats, of at least equal importance has to be the reduction in morbidity. The study…at least, per the abstract…didn’t address this, in spite of the NYT headline and some of the discussion in the article(the health and science writers tend to take liberties with reporting these studies…or more likely the press releases that’re put out on them) Extending life is one thing (reduced mortality) Improving quality of life is the real cherry on the trifle.

For sure, death is a 100% certainty for all of us but, given a lifespan of, say 85 years (OK, 90…or even 100… if 85 is a bit too close for comfort), a final decade of vibrant independent living and a rapid decline prior to death (so-called “compressed morbidity”) strikes me as being way preferable to the frailty and diseases associated with pathogeric aging.

Bring on the kettlebells.

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We have to be able to stand up from a chair, to have enough strength to maintain balance and prevent falls

Not to mention back cleavage instead of backfat, a respectable “gun show” instead of dinner lady arms and something resembling a six pack rather than a pony keg.

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Quite apart from the mortality stats, of at least equal importance has to be the reduction in morbidity. The study…at least, per the abstract…didn’t address this, in spite of the NYT headline and some of the discussion in the article(the health and science writers tend to take liberties with reporting these studies…or more likely the press releases that’re put out on them) Extending life is one thing (reduced mortality) Improving quality of life is the real cherry on the trifle.

Increasingly, health care professionals are talking about increasing healthspan instead of lifespan. If you can’t get out of a chair by yourself the next stop is assisted living, or worse. So break out those kettlebells.

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Very much in the context of this discussion, I posted on this topic on the LBYM board a while back but the ensuing thread was deleted. I think this is the link. Full disclosure…it’s a Peter Attia freebie designed to advertise the podcasts that’re behind a paywall (a bit like NYT articles but you get to read a fair bit more meat without subscribing)

Anyhow, this is part of his exercise and longevity stuff that’s a useful read for anyone interested. The podcasts are a staple for my extended Zone 2 training sessions.

https://peterattiamd.com/why-do-we-lose-muscle-strength-with…

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Wendy,

Timely add. Just going back to the gym after Ireland. Early to bed early to the gym.

I was holding off on the gym to lose weight without creating more hunger to battle. But my head is straight for a good chunk of weight loss. The bed time is critical.

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If you can’t get out of a chair by yourself the next stop is assisted living, or worse

Indeed. Thing is with parameters such as this…and other features of the Senior Fitness Test (walking speed, timed up and go, grip strength)…they’re actually all late stage phenomena and the departure from healthy homeostasis sets in long before it’s evident physically.

Senior Fitness has become something of a niche market in the fitness world and over the past few years I’ve done more and more training workshops on this topic…fall prevention, stability and mobility etc. In fact, I signed up for a weekend course on strength training for seniors in the beginning of September (first in person since start of Covid) but I’m thinking of rescheduling it because I suspect it’ll be a hugely crowded venue.

Along with the various catchphrases such as “Sitting Is The New Smoking” (hinted at in the article) another one is “If you want to be awesome at 85, you can’t be average at 50” From what I can see, “below average” is too high a bar for a good many 50 year olds…with the number getting lower almost year by year.

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A consensus is building among experts that both strength training and cardio? are important for longevity.

That would describe CrossFit WODs (workout of the day). Most are a combination of strength and cardio at the same time. And before you think you are too old, check out the video of the oldest competitor at this years Games.

https://games.crossfit.com/video/72-year-old-crossfit-games-…

And like any good program, things can be adapted to your abilities.

JLC