Many factors influence our metabolic health.

Like how much of our day we spend:

- Being physically active
- Sleeping
- Sitting

A recent study identified 'ideal' proportions of each of these activities that were linked to better metabolic health markers.

These are just…

Resistance training has so many benefits.

But some estimates suggest less than 10% of adults meet current resistance training guidelines.

Many factors, including persistent miconceptions and stigmas, limit engagement with resistance training.

Enter the S.T.R.O.N.G. approach to…

It’s crazy how little exercise is needed to improve health.

But that’s not the hard part.

It’s staying consistent long enough to see results by:

- Not getting injured
- Being patient with results
- And showing up when we don’t want to.

All of these are key to achieving…

With ageing, muscles don’t just get smaller.

Their very composition changes as well.

And this has big implications for our ability to perform daily tasks, independence, and quality of life.

But some older adults have shown it’s possible to turn the tables on muscle ageing:…

The ANZSSFR annual meeting is less than 3 weeks away!

But there's still time to register:
👇
anzssfrconference.org/registration

Don't miss this jam-packed program including:
- 4 x keynote presentations
- 3 x invited symposia
- 3 x oral absract sessions
- Science communication workshop
-…

Resistance training grows muscle.

But what happens to the untrained muscles?

Turns out some might actually decrease in size.

Cool study showing growth in trained muscles may come at the expense of atrophy in untrained ones - particularly when energy and protein intake are low.…

Very few meet resistance training guidelines (2 sessions per week).

So are the benefits less with only 1 session?

Here, older adults (aged 69) did 1 or 2 eccentric resistance training sessions per week.

Just 12 minutes per session.

Improvements after 12 weeks:

✅…

Can traditional resistance training improve functional task performance in older adults?

Or is more “task-specific” training required?

Here, 6 weeks of traditional resistance training improved dynamic (5-RM) strength, but had limited carryover to functional task performance…

Resistance training builds muscle - but do males respond differently to females?

Our new meta-analysis (in peer review) led by Martin Refalo found:

- Males on average grow more muscle (in absolute terms)
- But relative changes in muscle size from baseline levels were similar…

By our 30’s, we’re losing about 1% of our aerobic fitness per year.

This accelerates to 2-3% per year by our 50’s.

So, what aerobic exercise intensities are “best” for offsetting these declines?

This review found moderate- and high-intensity aerobic exercise were similarly…

Training our muscles can keep our brain in shape as well.

How the “muscle-brain axis” is key to keeping us both physically and mentally healthy as we age:

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38615710/

Ageing and strength loss go hand-in-hand.

But what’s less appreciated is some muscles are affected more than others.

Here’s why muscle-specific strength loss matters (and what we can do about it):

jacksonfyfe.ck.page/posts/muscle-s…

How does ageing and physical activity affect our mitochondria?

And how do these mitochondrial changes impact physical function (and sarcopenia) across the lifespan?

Great review from Matt Lee David J Bishop (He/Him) and colleagues!

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38626488/

Cardio versus weights:

Sure, these exercise modes have distinct fitness benefits.

But how do they stack up for general health benefits?

And what does this mean for the 'best” type of exercise?

jacksonfyfe.ck.page/posts/cardio-o…

Exercise can be simple:

- Time efficient
- Done anywhere
- With little or no equipment

That’s the easy part.

The harder (and more important) part?

Figuring out how to do it more often, over a long period of time.

Exactly what most exercise advice ignores.

Big weights aren’t mandatory for bigger muscles.

A reminder that muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads - both light and heavy.

But if the goal is to maximise strength, heavier loads are best.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35015560/

Why should midlifers be concerned with their physical function?

Because it can predict mobility and disability into older age.

Grip strength, chair stand, and standing balance at age 53 were all associated with mobility and/or personal care disability 16 years later (at age…