Staying Strong as You Age: Why Muscle Matters

Nov 2

3 min read

Getting older shouldn’t mean giving up the things you love. Whether that’s gardening, travelling, playing with the grandchildren or carrying your own shopping, muscle strength helps keep those activities within reach.

When we talk about healthy ageing, we often focus on heart health, bone density and keeping our minds active. Our muscles deserve a place in that conversation too. Maintaining muscle and strength can help us stay capable and independent as the years go on.

Muscle mass is only part of the picture

You don’t need to look muscular to benefit from being stronger. Think about what happens when you climb stairs, lift a suitcase or get out of a low chair. Your muscles are working to move and support you. As we age, we can lose muscle mass and strength. These changes may be gradual: the shopping feels heavier, stairs take more effort, or you start using your arms to push yourself out of a chair.

Muscle mass is part of the picture, but how well your muscles work matters too. Recent research suggests that strength and walking ability can tell us more about future health risks than measurements of muscle mass alone (Westbury et al., 2024).

That’s why maintaining strength deserves attention, even if your weight or appearance hasn’t changed.

What can your grip tell you?

Opening a jar, holding a saucepan and carrying a bag all rely on grip strength. It’s something we use constantly, often without thinking about it. Grip strength can also give health professionals a useful clue about muscle health. Measured by squeezing a dynamometer, a specialised device used to measure force, it’s a quick way to assess strength.

A recent study in older women found that stronger grip and better ability to stand repeatedly from a chair were associated with a lower risk of death during follow-up (LaMonte et al., 2026).

That doesn’t mean a strong handshake guarantees good health. Nor does struggling with a jar mean something is seriously wrong. Hand pain, arthritis and previous injuries can affect your grip. It’s one piece of information to consider alongside your health, movement and everyday function.

Walking is great, but give your muscles a challenge too

Walking is a valuable way to stay active. Keeping your muscles strong also means asking them to work against resistance.That might look like standing up from a chair with less assistance, using resistance bands, lifting weights or doing supervised exercises. The starting point will be different for everyone.

Older muscles can still respond to training. Research supports resistance exercise for improving strength and aspects of physical function in older adults, including those with significant muscle loss, although results vary (Yan et al., 2025).

You don’t have to begin with heavy weights. Start with exercises you can manage, learn how to do them confidently and gradually increase the challenge.

Keep the things you enjoy in reach

A useful goal might be getting down to tend the garden, managing the stairs at a holiday apartment or lifting your grandchild comfortably.These everyday goals give strength training a purpose beyond the gym. If you’ve noticed that familiar tasks are getting harder, it’s worth discussing rather than simply putting it down to age.

This November, our seniors’ health theme is a reminder to give your muscle health some attention. If pain, stiffness or reduced confidence is holding you back, book online with our team at Realign Health Clinic. We can assess what’s limiting your movement and help you find appropriate support to stay active.

References:

LaMonte, M.J. et al. (2026) ‘Muscular strength and mortality in women aged 63 to 99 years’, JAMA Network Open, 9(2), e2559367. [https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.59367]
Westbury, L.D. et al. (2024) ‘Predictive value of sarcopenia components for all-cause mortality: findings from population-based cohorts’, Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 36, 126. [https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-024-02783-x]
Yan, R. et al. (2025) ‘Optimal resistance training prescriptions to improve muscle strength, physical function, and muscle mass in older adults diagnosed with sarcopenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis’, Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 37, 320. [https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-025-03235-w]