According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- One-third of Americans aged 65+ falls each year.
- Every 14 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall; every 29 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall-related injury.
- Falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults.
- In 2012, the total cost of fall injuries was over $36 billion.
The financial toll for older adult falls is expected to increase as the population ages and may reach $59.6 billion by 2020.
However, falling is not the inevitable result of aging.
Falling is the direct result of loss of strength. Stabilizers weaken, and a stumble becomes a fall. Then, the downward spiral begins until a person loses their independence. So if you choose to LIVE every minute to the end, you’ll need to be strong. Not only strong, but you’ll also need strength endurance. That means being strong for as long as necessary to complete whatever you’re doing.
One of our clients (who is 60+ years old) is aiming to hike the Camino de Santiago in the Pyrenees with a backpack on for 5 or 6 hours a day this coming October. The full pilgrimage takes 5-6 weeks. She is an avid cyclist, so cardio endurance is assured. What she lacks is the strength the carry the pack, mostly uphill, all day without getting hurt–for a few weeks. That’s the important part: performing for the duration of the task without losing strength and inevitably getting hurt.
You can use strength endurance for other things.
Maybe your neighbors have been pissing you off, and it’s finally time to put up that fence. That’s a job best finished in a day or 2 assuming you don’t have linear miles of year!
Or say you want to join your kids or grandkids on a kayaking trip or Stand Up Paddle boarding–and hang with them most or all of the day.
Regardless of what it is, having strength is essential to remaining independent and living a full life. A life where we only say no if we really want to.
Best of all, being strong just makes things easier.
That’s why we teach the StrongFirst Kettle bell program at the studio. But that’s only one of our methods.
If you are already on the path to getting stronger for longer, that’s fantastic! But if you need help–maybe you’re confused by the media, or you’re already afraid of falling, or not being able to keep up with your kids or grandkids, or you don’t want to end up like your parents–give us a call today. We can help.
If we don’t have the right program for you, we’ll help you find one. It’s THAT important. Schedule your free consultation by phoning (404) 435-6367.
Ann-Marie Giglio