A team of researchers has highlighted an association between maintaining good muscle strength with age and psychological well-being in seniors.
- Muscle strength not only influences physical health, but also psychological well-being, study finds. “It is essential to maintain good muscle strength as you age, both for your physical and mental health.”
- The good news is that muscular strength is a “modifiable factor”, which offers a promising avenue for the prevention of mental disorders in seniors.
- Muscle strengthening could therefore be a crucial lever of action for the mental health of older people, the study concludes.
Taking care of your muscles also means taking care of your brain. This is, in essence, what a new study published in theInternational Journal of Clinical and Health Psychologyexploring the link between muscular strength and mental health in seniors.
The influence of muscular strength on psychological well-being
As part of their work, researchers from several Spanish research institutes followed 90 participants, 57% of whom were women, all elderly and in good cognitive health. They assessed their muscular strength through several physiological tests, such as grip strength (“grip”), squats, and elbow and knee extension. The volunteers were also asked about their perception of their physical condition using the International Physical Fitness Scale (IFIS).
The mental aspect has not been neglected. The scientists thus examined different indicators of mental health such as anxiety, depression, stress, feelings of loneliness, life satisfaction, self-esteem and emotional well-being. Among the results, a significant association was observed between grip strength and self-esteem, as well as between perceived strength and depressive symptoms. Which suggests that muscular strength not only influences physical health, but also psychological well-being. “These results show that it is essential to maintain good muscle strength as we age, both for our physical and mental health”summarizes Dr. María Rodríguez-Ayllón, who participated in the study, in a press release.
Muscle strengthening as a guarantee of mental health
The good news is that muscle strength is a “modifiable factor”, which offers a promising avenue for the prevention of mental disorders among seniors. To confirm their findings, the authors of the study developed a 6-month intervention program aimed at improving the muscular strength of participants to observe the impact on their mental and cognitive health. As expected, they observed that regular practice of muscle strengthening exercises was a key tool in improving not only the physical fitness of older people, but also their psychological well-being.
As you age, maintaining regular physical activity could therefore reduce the risks of depression and anxiety, but also improve self-esteem – essential factors for living your senior years peacefully.
