According to the World Bank, the average life expectancy of a Canadian citizen is 82 years. In the United States, the average life expectancy is 77-78 years. Interestingly, the average life expectancy in the US has actually decreased since 2015.
In 1960, the average American lived for about 70 years. Six decades later, the average American has added just 8 more years of life. Despite the increase in technological innovations, increased awareness of health, nutrition and fitness, Americans are not living that much longer than their parents or grandparents did. One can make a strong argument that Americans are also less healthy than their ancestors were. The obesity epidemic is a major contributing factor to this problem.
Data compiled from the CDC reveals that rates of obesity in the United States increased from 30.5 in 2000 to nearly 42% in 2020. This staggering increase leaves more Americans than ever vulnerable to strokes, heart attacks, diabetes and various cancers than ever. And the financial strain on Americans caused by obesity is simply enormous. The CDC estimates the medical costs of obesity to be $173 billion dollars as of 2019. Without drastic changes to the way we live, the situation will only get worse.
Did you know that in 2020 over 42,000 people died from falls in the United States? And that among seniors, falls are a leading cause of injury and death? According to the CDC, the rate of death from falls by adults age 65 years and older has increased nearly 30% from 2009 to 2018. One of the major risk factors for falls is a lack of strength. Stated simply, weakness is killing us, especially among our seniors.
Strength training is for everybody. The narrative that lifting weights is something that only athletes and/or bodybuilders do is not only false but dangerous. Strength training is a moral and physical imperative for all of us to age well and live life to the fullest.
In case you are a senior reading this and thinking that it’s too late to start, allow me to assure you that it’s never too late! A clinical study conducted on a group of 70-year-old men and women who engaged in a strength training program for just 10 weeks found that they increased muscle mass and maintained functional strength.
Another study conducted at Penn State College of medicine and Columbia University found that seniors who engaged in strength training just twice per week had 46% lower odds of dying (for any reason) than those who did not strength train. Strength training is a key pillar of the Longevity Path philosophy and is vital for anyone wanting to enhance their quality of life.