Strength Training: The Foundation of a Long, Healthy Life | Move for Life (Part 1)

Setting aside fleeting trends and unproven “longevity hacks,” Live Long is returning to the fundamentals. In a new 20-part series, Move for Life, the focus is on movement and strength training — the cornerstone of healthy aging. Hosted by Peter Bowes, with Florida-based trainers Shebah Carfagna and Nate Wilkins of The Ageless Workout, these concise, evidence-driven conversations explore proven methods to preserve muscle mass, maintain independence, and reduce frailty in later life.

The series also examines strength training’s broader benefits, from boosting metabolism and bone density to enhancing cognitive function and social engagement. Listeners will find practical, actionable guidance — from safe starting points and progressive routines, to understanding the role of rest and recovery. Topics will include distinguishing normal exertion from pain, avoiding injury, and developing sustainable, lifelong habits.

As always, beginning a new exercise program should be undertaken with medical clearance, following a consultation with your physician.

---

This podcast is supported by affiliate arrangements with a select number of companies. We have arranged discounts on certain products and receive a small commission on sales. The income helps to cover production costs and ensures that our interviews remain free for all to listen. 

Visit our SHOP for more details: 
https://healthspan-media.com/live-long-podcast/shop/

EnergyBits algae snacks
A microscopic form of life that could help us age better. Use code LLAMA for a 20 percent discount

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Transcript

Nate Wilkins: 0:27

54321. Find it. Let's go. I'm talking about push up city. Baby. Let's go.

Peter Bowes: 0:35

Over the next few months here, we're going to focus on lifestyle habits that are guaranteed to enhance our longevity. It's not often that I say anything is guaranteed to make a difference, but moving the body and working on our physical strength is undeniably good for us. In fact, as we grow older to avoid frailty and the loss of muscle strength, it's essential to move for life. Hello again. Welcome to the Live Long podcast I'm Peter Bowes. This is where we explore the science and stories behind Human longevity. Joining me every Friday for the next 20 weeks will be my good friends from Florida, Shebah Carfagna and Nate Wilkins from The Ageless Workout. Every week we will explore a different aspect of movement and strength training, with the goal of providing some evidence based inspiration to keep us happy and healthy for as long as possible. We think of it as pro aging, a pro aging approach to optimum health and well-being. It's great to talk to you both.

Shebah Carfagna: 1:56

Hi Peter, how are you?

Peter Bowes: 1:57

I'm excited to embark on this little adventure together because, as I say and hopefully you agree, strength training and movement is all important and sometimes perhaps overlooked when we get engrossed by a lot of the new fangled longevity interventions. But it's a going back to basics approach that we're going to talk about in the coming weeks.

Shebah Carfagna: 2:19

Yes, it is that going back to the basics and the basics are just movement to keep moving so you can move right into longevity. Right, dear?

Nate Wilkins: 2:28

Oh, absolutely. You know, I think that Peter makes an interesting point that sometimes we look over because there's so much going on and we get caught up in all of that. But going back to the basics, I think, is where the rubber meets the road Shebah.

Peter Bowes: 2:43

So why is muscle strength so important as we grow older?

Shebah Carfagna: 2:48

Oh my goodness, what a great question because there are so many reasons. Because you want to keep your balance and not become frail. So your muscles help you do that. Reduce the risk of sarcopenia, which is loss of muscle mass. Keeping your independence, staying active.

Nate Wilkins: 3:05

Yeah, but I think even more than that, I think it's this whole thing that we need to get up and down. And if we are not strong enough to get up and down, then, you know, we have an opportunity to not be independent. We're depending on everybody else. And so we start to go into depression. So there's just so many things about having muscle strength that I hope we'll continue to explore.

Peter Bowes: 3:34

And strength training more generally is so important for many other aspects of our bodies in terms of our metabolism, bone density as well.

Shebah Carfagna: 3:44

That is correct. Your metabolism is much better if you move and work out your processed food better. It's also been linked to,strength training has also been linked to cognition. So your cognitive kind of development keeps there. By doing the exercises, a lot of times strength training is done with boxing. And so that is used in Parkinson's. So there is a direct correlation to strength training movement longevity, cognition. All of that goes together. But most importantly the social aspect of it is also important to whether you strength train by yourself or in a zoom, or you go to the gym where you have a trainer, whatever that is, it gets you out. And then there's echo therapy for those who go out and do it outside.

Nate Wilkins: 4:28

But let's talk a little bit more about strength training, and it relates to bone density, because the messaging that actually happens when when the pressure is actually put down, put on, on the bone through, through the strength training, it actually sends messages and it makes our bones stronger. So those tie in as well. Let's talk about Nate where we start. For someone who hasn't really paid much attention to strength training, to resistance training over the years, and then perhaps as a result of maybe listening or watching this interview, realize its value as we grow older. Where do we start? Well, let's say this. First of all, Peter, it's never too late. Some people think it's too late to start. Well, you know, if you haven't started, a good time is to start right now. And so you start very easy. You start slow, I would suppose first of all, you want to get clearance from your doctor. You want to make sure that you are okay. So check with your doctor and then start slow. Do a little bit at a time. What we like to say is that inch by inch, anything is a cinch. So you start very lightly and perhaps you start with walking, or maybe you start with just getting up and down out of a chair or just moving around, and then you move to perhaps body weight movements and then lightweights and then into medium weights. And then perhaps if you want to progress, you can go heavier. So again, what I'm suggesting is that sometimes when we get into a resistance training or weight training program, we get it wrong. We think that if we go for really hard and fast, then we'll get our results and it doesn't work like that. It's really like this, you know, you think that you put a lot in and you get a little out, right? So what we need to do is understand that we can put a little bit in and keep growing that and growing that because I'm talking about consistency. So you have to be consistent.

Peter Bowes: 6:36

And how often should we train? I think there's perhaps a misconception amongst some people that it means constantly going to the gym, but as I understand it, the rest days are just as important.

Shebah Carfagna: 6:48

The recovery days are really important as you tend to age.

So it's the 80: 6:53

20 theory. You know you want to rest 80% of the time and 20% into the exercises. So what is recommended is that you do multifunction exercises, which is what the Ageless Workout method is based on. Movements that are multifunctional. We'll be demonstrating some things that are very simple function. But three exercises three times can really work in 30 minutes. And also, I want to go back to the point about how do you get started? You know, there's so much information out there. It's even confusing to me. When I look on social media, I am confused and I am a professional. I think again, what Nate suggested is that you get doctors clearance. You begin to think about the things that you like to do, and then you seek whatever works for you, whether that's with a wellness professional. If you can afford that, or you go to a group class, you go to the Y. And I think people are just generally totally misguided in that. But it's also about making the time. So if you do something you like, if you like to row and you can row, then you can put that into your time schedule. A lot of what I hear, I had a client call me this week and say, I just can't find the time. I have two teenage boys. I just can't find the time to get started. And I'm so overwhelmed and I'm gaining weight and I don't know what to do. You know, you really have to stop and take a breath and make a self-assessment, or contact a professional and say, can you give me some guidance? Would you give me a 15 minute consult? A lot of times, wellness professionals are out there and willing to give that consult just to get you started. You know, you don't need to have a big budget for wellness. And you may not have a health savings plan, but you can talk to individuals and get an idea of where to start. And I would say if you can commit, you know, once or twice a week to start until you get the hang of it, then that's an excellent place.

Nate Wilkins: 8:51

And how do you make this new routine a habit so that you stay with it?

Shebah Carfagna: 8:56

Ah, that's the real secret. Making it a habit. It's all about growing and ever changing with your mind and a mindset. You know, it's a habit that you take the kids to school every day. You know, it's a habit that you have dinner every day. It's just attempting to create this space where there's 30 minutes, 15 minutes and doing it over and over again. And your suggestion for habits.

Nate Wilkins: 9:23

You know, Peter almost read my mind. What I was going to suggest is that when you when you have a partner or a companion that you could that you could actually depend on that somebody is actually depending on you. You have a tendency to hold on to showing up for them. And in that way you show up for yourself as well. And so that is a way that you can continue to be consistent. But but the other piece to that is, is that I think that we if we again, you said if we find the things that we like to do, that we're more apt to do the things that we like to do. So perhaps you don't want to start with resistance training right off. Maybe you start with little things and move into bigger things from there. I think that's a way to to stick with it and then suggest to yourself that you get to do this and that you don't have to do this, that it's really about you taking care of yourself. And again, self-care is not selfish.

Shebah Carfagna: 10:29

It's like going to work. You know, you have habits where you go to work. In a lot of ways this is work. For those that are retired, semi-retired. It's an opportunity to take care of yourself. You know, you have to make it on the schedule. So, for example, if you go to workout in the morning and you miss it in the morning and you do something later, there's a sense of gratification and fulfillment. The endorphins get released and you actually feel better because getting older is not the easiest thing. Pro aging, you know, it's not just taking the pill, as you say, or finding the scan or the test. It's about finding that place of happiness and peace with yourself and committing to what you can do. There's so many ways to do that now with zoom. You know folks that don't like to go to the gym, they can zoom. And and a lot of times here, you know, it's absolutely free if you qualify.

Peter Bowes: 11:22

And one thing you need to do as you go on this journey is listen to your body, both in a positive sense and a negative sense. By that I mean avoid injuries.

Nate Wilkins: 11:32

What we've talked about, Peter, is this notion of managing the condition and not letting the condition manage you. And in doing that, you have to listen to your body. So there's a difference between pain, right, and discomfort pain and discomfort. So if there's a certain amount of discomfort we learn to work through that. But if it's painful we we move away from pain. We don't push ourselves. So this old adage that people have is no pain. No pain. That's an old idea. We need to get away from that. So the real idea is, you know, no pain or gain. So you want to work toward no pain. So if you feel like you're getting to a place where things are painful for you, then you need to back off of that. Take a rest and your body will will send those messages to you. But at the same time, if you feel a little bit discomfort, then you know you have to manage that. I think it's what we're saying.

Shebah Carfagna: 12:35

And I think you have to understanding managing the discomfort. You are going to feel some discomfort. So if you've not worked out before. So let's say you're sedentary. You just, you know, came from your doctor and the doctor said you have some heart issues that you need to do some cardio. So you say, okay, I don't know what to do, but they said, I can walk. And I read that walking leads to longevity. So you get out there and you walk and you set a goal. So I think goal setting is important. But also understand that within that goal setting that you're going to have to back off if your body starts to hurt a little bit, that discomfort, because you're progressing. And so it's key to know that difference between you know too much and too little. And again, to be guided. There's many things out there to read. There's there's wellness professionals online. You're not going to be successful straight out. You know, if you set that goal for two miles and you make it two miles in a week, the next week you make it less than two miles, then you're you know, you shouldn't be discouraged, but it is about the long term consistency and the habit.

Nate Wilkins: 13:37

But the other piece of that, Peter, is what we know is that if you don't move and if you stay too long in one place, maybe the muscles start to atrophy. Say, for example, if you haven't done anything in 3 to 6 months and you try to go and put your work out playing together that you used to have, you'll find out very quickly that that's not the way to do it. And so you have to find a way to continue to move, even if it's just a little time that you move. Don't just sit there because you become sedentary.

Peter Bowes: 14:12

The Live Long Podcast is a Healthspan Media production. I'm Peter Bowes. You can contact me through our website, Live Long podcast or you'll also find shownotes for this episode.

DISCLAIMER: 14:24

Peter Bowes: This podcast is for informational, educational and entertainment purposes only. We do not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should first consult your doctor.