Strength Training, Cardio, or Mobility: What is Most Important?

It’s kind of a loaded question. The best answer is all three. But new research is suggesting that overall, strength training is the most important aspect of our health to maintain. Especially as we age.

After age 35, we begin a slow decline in muscle mass, strength, and bone density. Evidence shows that we can significantly slow down this process through regular strength training.

Having strong muscles allows us to maintain our mobility and therefore our independence as we get older. Strength training also happens to be the best way for men and women to maintain their bone density. As we get older, fractures from falls are devastating and will rob us of our ability to live independently.

Strength Training at Home

Strength training doesn’t mean you need to go out and start pumping iron at your local gym. The fitness environment can be intimidating, and many people are simply not interested in that kind of time and effort commitment. Strength training can be done easily at home with little or no equipment.

Here’s how! Every day, try to do:

• 50 squats
• 50 sit-ups or crunches or leg lifts, or dead bugs (you may need to search Youtube for this one) or accumulate 2-3 minutes of planking or some combination of all of these
• 50 push-ups or push-up variations

Don’t attempt to do all 50 at once. Do sets of 10 or 5, or even do them one at a time throughout the day. Does 50 seem overwhelming? Start with 20 and work your way up. However, you need to go about them to get them done, just do it!

Every activity can be modified. For example, you can do a full-air squat, or you could stand in front of a chair and squat down and sit on the chair, then stand up again repeatedly. You could open an interior door and, facing the door, end on, grab both door handles so you can use your arms to pull yourself up.

You can do push-ups from your knees or by placing your hands on the back of a couch, or you could do push-ups standing against the wall to make them easier.