@Aardvark said in #848568 that one of his motivations to lift weights is encouraged by his desire not to die. It just happens to be that is also one of my desires. I want to live as long as possible. And for that to happen, I want to have both my mind (related to @cryotosensei's fear of developing dementia when forfeiting sleep) and body to work well.
So, after reading #848568, I wondered how much weight training matters in being healthy at an older age. I vaguely remember reading about this kind of studies, so this is likely one of the many studies proving the point that strength training reduces your chances of dying early. This observational study seems to be quite relevant one as they considered 115 489 participants for this.
As summarized here:
Adding strength training to aerobic exercise might help you live longer, a new study in older adults suggests.
The observational study, published online Oct. 17, 2022, by JAMA Network Open, analyzed physical activity reported by more than 115,000 people ages 65 and older taking part in the National Health Interview Survey. Researchers compared participants' exercise data with deaths over a period averaging nearly eight years. No matter how much aerobic exercise they did, participants who did strength training at least twice a week had a lower risk of dying (regardless of cause) during the study period than those who did less strength training. When strength training twice weekly or more was added to 2.5 hours of aerobic exercise, the risk of dying during the study period dropped by 30%.
Strength training includes such activities as lifting weights, using resistance bands, doing sit-ups or push-ups, and even many common household chores, such as digging while gardening, according to the CDC.
(emphasis mine)
I am already taking care of the aerobic and anaerobic activity through very regular Zwift sessions, will need to figure out how to add strength training to the mix. Any advice on that? I don't enjoy lifting weights, so I'd like to pick the most convenient option while reminding myself...
Why? Because I don't want to die!