This may surprise you, but a recent study has found that greater grip strength can be an indication of overall healthy ageing, mobility and function as you age.

What the study shows us is that the focus for older women shouldn’t be focused on weight loss as a way to extend their lives, but instead on improving mobility and muscle strength – Lisa Underland

Maintaining mobility as you age is often highlighted as a key marker for healthy ageing, as being generally mobile enables older people to be independent and active for longer.

Research has established a strong link between grip strength and expected longevity. In a study in 2018, it was found that those who retain higher levels of grip strength throughout life were found to have lower risk of several common, life-threatening diseases, including heart disease, respiratory disease and/or cancer. It is thought that this may be because muscles play such an important role in not only body movements, but muscles serve as the body’s primary protein store and play an important role in regulating blood sugar.

The connection between the two (grip strength and healthy ageing), is thought to be down to the link between your grip strength indicating your overall strength throughout your body.

As well as doing specific exercises to improve your grip, it is important to do general body strength work and keep physically active. If you need help or support with this, we offer individual support through our team of Clinicians or a specialist weekly group exercise sessions, called Positive Steps.

Here are a few exercises that you can do to help improve your grip strength

You cannot stop ageing, but you can certainly slow it down and take steps to ‘age well’. For elderly populations, grip strength can be an important component of functional tasks like opening jars, carrying groceries or holding onto railings. So, do not underestimate the power of grip!