If you don’t use it, you will lose it. A doctor shares a conversation with her 88-year-old patient.
An 88-year-old who I’d been seeing for falls, weakness, and a hip fracture told me I looked strong. Asked if I lifted weights.
I proudly confirmed his assumption as I’d been lifting for the past 9 years. He smiled and said he used to lift too. Shared his old PRs.
He used to bench press 215 lbs, squat 350 lbs, and deadlift 475 lbs at his prime. He trained several times a week & used lifting as a way to stay both physically & mentally fit. But at some point along the way, life happened, so his training sessions decreased. Then, before he knew it, he stopped lifting altogether in his 50s.
Then he got older. He now uses a walker to get around now. He has difficulty getting up from a chair and he’s fallen in his home, one fall leading to a hip fracture.
Then he looked me dead in the eyes and said:
Don’t ever stop. If I hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t be your patient right now.
Ironically, it’s only because he’d been lifting into his 50s that he has survived to the age of 88. His decline began from a higher peak than most.
So whatever it is that you’re doing, from lifting weights to playing soccer, don’t stop unless you absolutely have to stop. You’re going to get older, but you don’t have to become frail and infirm.