Grip Strength and Longevity in Aging

aging

Feb 9

In a previous conversation, we discussed ways to measure grip strength and its importance to your workout schema. Who knew that a year later, we’d have even more alarming evidence of the importance, and power, of the role grip strength plays into your longevity in aging?

In a recent Washington Post article, confirmation of the importance of grip strength was made clear:

Strength also can be an augury of how long we’ll live. In a 2015 study of almost 140,000 adults in high-, middle- and low-income nations, reduced handgrip strength was closely linked to mortality in people of all incomes, predicting risks for early death better than blood pressure, which is often considered one of the best indicators of life span.
“Grip strength is a simple but powerful predictor of future disability, morbidity, and mortality,” the authors of an accompanying editorial concluded, its effects holding true “not only in older people, but also in middle-aged and young people.”
How, though, might a sturdy grip today influence our well-being tomorrow?
“Grip strength is often called a biomarker of aging,” said Mark Peterson, an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who led the new study. “But the biological context for why it’s so predictive of positive and negative outcomes during aging hasn’t really been clear.”

Hey, even ChatGPT agrees about grip strength playing a large role in aging vitality:

Grip strength is an important indicator of overall physical health, especially as one ages. Declining grip strength has been linked to several health problems, including:

Physical Frailty: Grip strength is considered a marker of physical frailty, which is a state of increased vulnerability to falls and other adverse health outcomes in older adults.
Cardiovascular disease: Studies have shown that low grip strength is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes.
Musculoskeletal Disorders: Grip strength can decrease with age due to conditions like osteoarthritis, which can make it difficult to perform daily activities such as opening jars and carrying groceries.
Cognitive Decline: Low grip strength has been linked to cognitive decline and an increased risk of dementia in older adults.
Mortality: Low grip strength has also been shown to be a predictor of mortality, especially in older adults.

Therefore, maintaining good grip strength is important for promoting overall health and independence as one ages. This can be achieved through regular exercise, including activities that target the hand, wrist, and forearm muscles.

One of the greatest ways to practice your grip strength is to simply take two Kettlebells of equal weight, and grab one in each hand and stand tall holding the weights by your side. The weights should challenge you, but not hurt you to hold them.

Then, stand, or walk around, carrying those hanging Kettlebells in your hands for at least two minutes. Do that a couple of times a day, and your grip will strengthen, and believe it or not, your blood pressure just may lower a bit, too.

The body longs for weight — real outside weight, not body weight. The body wants to lift, and press, and carry, weight beyond what you weigh. Your hands want to be strong. Your grip needs to be practiced and sustained. The path to easier aging is clear. Lift a Kettlebell, hold it, and gain amazing feats of strength against aging in the process.