GRIP STRENGTH & STANDING UP
By Rita Hartley
Perhaps you’ve heard that grip strength is an indicator of longevity? This notion has been kicking around for a while now and I must admit it haunts me when I beg my hubby to help me unscrew my Yeti water bottle after a hard workout (and, more often than not, having just slathered my hands with moisture cream due to the gym’s dry air).
But that’s the thing. Most of us women have smaller hands than men, so objects we’re trying to unscrew can be large and awkward. And we often have our hands in water - or moisturizer! - making things slippery.
But a recent eight-year study of more than 5,000 women, between the ages of 63 and 99, found that it’s true: a grip strength test, along with measuring the time it takes to stand from sitting in a chair without using one’s arms, are key indicators of longevity.
According to Dr. Leana Wen - you might recall her from CNN, as she was a public health communicator during Covid - “The key finding was that women with stronger grip strength and better chair-stand performance had a lower risk of death from any cause during follow-up.”
What these two simple tests reveal is the quality of the body’s overall strength and performance, that is, its ability to meet the demands of daily life. Grip strength correlates to strength throughout the body and the chair-stand measurement determines lower body strength - in the thighs and hips - critical muscles for mobility and balance.
Muscle mass declines with age, so without the aerobic activity and strength training we get from our regular Jazzercise classes, we’d be prone to losing four to six pounds of muscle per decade. The great news though? If you’re new to Jazzercise - or just thinking about joining (why wait?) - muscular strength can improve at any age. Says Dr. Wen, “The goal is consistency rather than intensity at the outset.”
Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines recommend adults accumulate 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity/week plus muscle-strengthening activities at least twice/week. Incorporate 7-9 hours of sleep/night and proper nutrition (have you heard about the 70/30 fitness rule? 70% from nutrition and lifestyle, 30% from workouts) and you’ve figured out how to age gracefully and well.
“When people maintain strength as they age,” says Dr. Wen, “it often indicates that their muscles, bones, nervous system and metabolism are functioning well together. These systems support mobility, balance and the ability to perform everyday activities.”
There are metabolic benefits as well, such as the regulation of blood sugar and energy use and control of such conditions as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The interesting thing about assessing women’s fitness with these two simple tests is that the results uncover “practical strength” as opposed to “muscle size”. “That distinction is important,” says Dr. Wen, “because functional ability often matters more than muscle mass alone when it comes to maintaining independence and preventing disability in older adults.”
One needn’t seek out a medical professional to measure grip strength or the time it takes to rise from a chair. If you’re coming to class regularly and doing the physical activities that enhance your life - walking, gardening, riding your bike, skiing (on snow or water), pickle-balling, etc - you have a pretty good grip (pun intended, lol) on your personal fitness level. Just ensure you dry your hands well - and don’t moisturize! - before you tackle that new jar of pickles.