if I could turn back time

how and why to prioritize strength training - you won't regret it.

Happy President’s Day, Noosers 🇺🇸. We hope you are having a great long weekend (or the start to February vacation, like us). Anne is enjoying the sunshine in Florida this week, and Avery is skiing in Vermont. Both of us are experiencing different ends of the weather spectrum, but loving our time in the Fresh Air Club. No matter what you have going on this week, we hope you step outside, take a deep breath, and join the club!

Today’s post is all about strength. We are often hooked by promises of “toning” workouts, or fat burning programs (12-3-30 treadmill walks, anyone?!). What is it about these workouts that grabs our attention? Is it the influencer touting them, insinuating you can look like them with “these three easy workouts”? Is it the hope of the six pack abs you’ve dreamt of, or sculpted arms? Many of us have been tempted by these workouts for whatever reason, I know I have.

Turns out, there are much more compelling reasons to add strength into your exercise routine, beyond what’s trending or promises of “toning.”

Did you know that starting in our 30’s, we lose about 8% of muscle per decade? After the age of 60, the decline steepens. It’s a “if you don’t use it, you lose it” scenario. And it’s not just about having abs or toned arms, it’s about being functional and slowing down our body’s natural aging process so we can keep doing the things we love. Like last week’s post (which you should check out, especially if you like Tim Riggins 🤣), we aren’t trying to ring the alarm bell. Rather, we hope this inspires you to add some strength exercises into your movement routine in some simple ways!

Yes, you can get “ripped” with the right focus (we will get into that below), but how about being able to lift your kids or grandkids? How about being able to change the water cooler yourself? Sidenote: “being able” doesn’t mean you have to — I still ask my husband to do that, lol.

Gaining strength can start at any age. Whether you are in your 30’s and the muscle decline is silently starting, you are in your 40’s and things are starting to feel different, or you are in your 70’s — the best time to start is now. Sarcopenia (muscle loss) isn't inevitable. You have the power to build and maintain muscle at any age through consistent strength training and proper nutrition.

Read today’s post for some straight forward tips about strength training and why we might benefit in more ways than we think by shifting our goals from toning to strengthening. The upside? You might just get both.

If you like what you read, hit the ❤️ at the top or bottom of the post — it helps us find readers like you. As always, we love hearing from you so drop us a comment at the bottom if something strikes you✨

Last week, Anne wrote a great piece about how to prevent cardiovascular disease by making small, but consistent nutritional changes. Today, I (Avery) am hoping to offer you a similar post with regards to strength training. While we can’t Benjamin Button ourselves and reverse aging, we can age gracefully by taking simple daily actions with our nutrition and movement that compound over time. These everyday choices — whether preventing CVD or age-related sarcopenia — create a powerful foundation for long-term health.

If it’s hard for you to imagine the future (I have a hard time picturing 80 year old Avery, too), there are so many upsides to exercising that you can feel as soon as you start. Physically moving your body creates an energy shift — it changes how we feel, think and behave. No matter what you do, whether it’s two push ups, a walk or a wall sit, you will feel differently after — your body is releasing endorphins, the mood boosting hormone.

But, back to 80 year old Avery. The last thing I want to be humming in my 80’s is Cher’s classic ballad, “If I Could Turn Back Time,” because I didn’t feed my muscles with good food or regular exercise when I was younger. I always say I never regret a workout — exercise supports my mental health, sleep, physical body, and I know that by investing the time and energy into a solid workout routine today, my body will thank me down the line.

Truthfully, I have been humming this the whole time I’ve been writing. It’s a classic. So — what can you do now to start getting stronger?