Disclaimer: Not Medical Advice. Opinions are my own.

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Today's Newsletter at a Glance:

• Are You Ever Too Old to Exercise?

• Becoming a World Champion Powerlifter at 71 Years of Age

• Exercise: The Most Powerful Prescription for Longevity

• Starting Strong

Whether life has interfered and it's been years since you've maintained an exercise routine, you've never developed a consistent workout program, or you're seeking additional motivation, today's newsletter is for you.

A common question I receive is, "Is it ever too late to start an exercise program?" The short answer is absolutely not.

Peter Attia put it well when he said, "Exercise [is] a powerful intervention with no expiration date."

Regardless of when you start exercising, the benefits still apply.

Although an exercise program should look different for a 20-year-old D1 athlete than a 70-year-old grandmother, we should all be training for life.

Becoming a World Champion Powerlifter at 71 Years of Age

This remarkable case study underlines the potential we all have when exercising later in life.

The study measures the present 70+ world champion powerlifter who started resistance training at 63 years old and had no prior experience with a workout routine.

As a result of her brief 7-year exercise program, researchers compared her to other healthy older female controls:

Body Composition: The participant showed a 33% greater skeletal muscle mass index and a 37% greater quadriceps cross-sectional area than healthy, older female controls. Additionally, she had very low values of abdominal and organ body fat, between 20% and 70% lower than a reference group of postmenopausal women.

Muscle Strength: Her absolute leg press muscle strength was 36% greater, and handgrip strength was 33% greater compared to age-matched controls.

Metabolic Health: The participant maintained a good bone mineral density and demonstrated significant improvements in metabolic health markers, including a favorable oral glucose tolerance test.

Muscle Fiber Analysis: A muscle biopsy revealed a 46% greater Type II muscle fiber cross-sectional area compared to controls.

While the next powerlifting champion title might not be on your bucket list, starting resistance training even at an advanced age can improve overall health.

Exercise: The Most Powerful Prescription for Longevity

If the benefits of exercise were sold as a pill, the line would be out the door at the pharmacy.

Exercise has consistently been shown to be an effective tool to improve all facets of healthspan and lifespan.

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Cognitive Defense

Aerobic exercise is a proven way to slow down age-related cognitive decline.

​This meta-analysis included 29 randomized control trials (RCTs) and 2049 participants and found that aerobic exercise individuals vs. the control were statistically significant regarding "processing speed, executive function, and memory."

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Cardiovascular Insurance

Exercise can significantly improve cardiovascular health regardless of when you start. A sedentary lifestyle can increase your risk of heart disease, hypertension, and stroke. However, exercise can decrease many of these risks, even for late exercise adopters.

​This study utilized data from the Copenhagen City Heart Study, involving 4,487 men and 5,956 women. The population study highlights the increased risk of heart attack and all-cause mortality with decreased activity. The opposite was also shown: increased activity saw a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality.

Better Bone Density

Bone health becomes increasingly important, especially as we age. Strength training, yoga, walking, and rucking (weighted walks) can help maintain bone density integrity and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

​This meta-analysis included men and women over the age of 65. The study showed increased lower-limb muscle strength and femur/hipbone mineral density in older adults following a progressive resistance training program.

Combat Natural Muscle Loss

We all experience the nasty human eventuality known as sarcopenia, which is naturally losing muscle mass as we age.

Strength training can slow, stop, or even reverse muscle loss even into our late 80s and 90s.

​This RCT showed that individuals 83+ years and older increased muscle mass and strength following a resistance training program and protein supplementation.
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Never Too Late to Take the First Step

If there is one concept you should take away from today's newsletter, it's that it's never too late to start or restart an exercise program.

The key here is to start slow and small.

Before buying an expensive gym membership, at-home gym equipment, or a personal trainer, start simply in the comfort of your home.

Body weight exercises, stretching, yoga, walking, running - nothing fancy or extreme.

Pull up YouTube on your phone, TV, or tablet and experiment with easy-to-follow home workout videos.

Find what works for you and what gets you most excited to come back and do it again tomorrow.

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I will leave you with this:

Today’s push-up is training for getting up off the floor effortlessly.

Today's deadlift is training for picking up your grandkids.

Today's farmers carry is training for carrying groceries to the car.

Today’s squat is training for lowering yourself into a chair without strain.

Train today for a better tomorrow.

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Only the best,

Jeremy London, MD

P.S. Don't forget to follow my podcast for free on Spotify or Apple Podcasts​