Age Wise
Greater Longevity is in Your Grasp
Strong grip and an agile body predict longer life
You probably should not sit down to hear this news: How well your body works as you get older — measured by things like grip strength, the ability to get out of a chair, and how fast you can walk — can predict how many years you might have left in this world. Add that to previous findings that a sedentary lifestyle predicts worse physical and mental health later on and a shorter life overall, and a clear conclusion emerges:
No matter your age, there’s no time like the present to get off the couch and start upping your odds of a longer and healthier existence.
Motor function, also called physical function, declines as we get older, but the rate varies by individual, and it can be hastened or delayed by a person’s level of physical activity and a host of other factors in and out of our control, from genetics to diet and, no surprise, physical activity. In fact, a sedentary lifestyle has been linked directly to frailty in old age, which all by itself sets a person up for falls, broken bones, disability, and poor health overall.
Previous research has linked poor motor function late in life to a higher risk of premature death, but it has not been clear how predictive this measure might be nor…
