Want to Age Well? This Longevity Expert Says Strength Training Matters Most

Key Takeaways

• Strength training is a key healthy-aging practice because preserving muscle supports metabolism, bones, joints, and overall function.

• Doing full-body resistance workouts two to three times per week is ideal, but it’s best to begin at your current fitness level and avoid overdoing it early on.

• The larger aim is staying independent for as long as possible, so you can keep handling everyday tasks like standing up from a chair, carrying groceries, and moving through daily life on your own.

Longevity is having a major moment. Supplements, sleep trackers, cold plunges, timed meals, and endless “anti-aging” advice can make healthy living feel like a second full-time job — or even an obsession.

Still, the way you age is often shaped by much simpler habits, including how much you move and how connected you stay to other people. To find a practical and affordable place to begin, we asked a longevity physician to name one habit she believes is especially worthwhile.

The Healthy-Aging Habit This Doctor Prioritizes

“We lose about 3 to 5 percent of our muscle mass per year after the age of 35, and maintaining muscle mass is so important as we age,” Timmons explains. “It helps with metabolic health and regulating your glucose; it helps with bone health and keeping your bones strong to prevent osteoporosis; and it helps with joint health by keeping your joints strong.”

Dr. Timmons says the biggest payoff is independence. “The day-to-day tasks we want to continue doing—being able to get up and down on your own, in and out of a car, and carry your own groceries—along with the activities we want to keep enjoying as we age, all depend on maintaining our muscle mass,” she says.

To help slow muscle loss, Dr. Timmons aims to strength-train at least two to three times a week. She also does not favor separate leg days. “I recommend a whole-body program where you train the major muscle groups across your entire body, rather than splitting into upper and lower body days,” she explains. “So, whole-body two to three times a week, using a progressive overload method where you gradually increase the weights or reps over time.”

If you do not have equipment or do not want to join a gym, Dr. Timmons suggests bodyweight resistance training using large, full-body movements such as squats and push-ups. “You can modify as needed, such as doing push-ups from your knees,” she says.

Is Strength Training More Important Than Other Healthy Habits?

Healthy aging is not determined by just one habit. Good nutrition, adequate sleep, stress management, and strong relationships all play a role in long-term quality of life. Even so, Dr. Timmons still ranks strength training as her top habit for aging well.

“It really is so important for maintaining independence,” she says, referring to a recent meta-analysis involving older adults. “The study confirmed that strength training twice a week helped with functional capacity and independence in daily tasks.” More specifically, people who did resistance training were able to stand from a chair more quickly. That may sound minor, but it matters. Living into your 80s or beyond is one thing; being able to stand, move around, and care for yourself once you get there is another.

For anyone tempted to overhaul an entire routine in the name of longevity, Dr. Timmons recommends starting small. “Start with just 10 minutes twice a week, and work up every few weeks by 5 minutes until you reach about one hour twice a week of full-body exercise,” she advises. “As you get stronger, you can progress the amount of weight you’re using beyond just body weight.”

If you have room for one more longevity-focused habit, she also recommends eating enough protein. Dr. Timmons suggests roughly 1 gram per pound of ideal body weight per day to help preserve muscle mass.