I keep looking back at my life in Singapore. I was 10 in 1959 when “old” meant anyone over 50. I liked to think it would never be me one day – talking about heartburn and gas, or asking a young person for a glass of water because I couldn’t get out of my chair. Granny Azizah – I’m now 73, and so thankful I used my youth to prepare for growing old, but not becoming old. I wish I could have helped you do the same!   

In late October 2022, I attended a forum organised by the Older Persons Mental Health Service in Sydney. The topic “Secrets of Ageing with Resilience” attracted my attention. Geriatrician Prof Maria A Fiatarone Singh spoke on “Boosting Resilience through Exercise”.

Maria spoke about the evidence gathered in her team’s research, focusing on how integration of medicine, exercise physiology and nutrition can improve our quality of life as we age. She took us through her research findings and drew us into her world: helping older people regain their energy and love for life through exercise and lifting weights. Traditionally, healthy ageing was focused on preventing disease, but we now know much greater effort is required to reduce frailty. 

I urge you to read her research paper “Updating the Evidence for Physical Activity”. Her evidence is compelling, and confirms what I’ve known for years: 

“Physical fitness confers resilience: Regular exercise and/or physical activity induces positive physiologic and psychological benefits, protects against the potential consequences of stressful events, and prevents many chronic diseases.”

(Fiatarone Singh, M. (2022). Boosting Resilience through Exercise, Slide 4. Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Sydney.)

More evidence gathered in her team’s research showed that older people responded just as well to weightlifting as younger people, and that only after 10 weeks of weightlifting, muscle fibre increased. There was actually less muscle wastage – defying the old stereotypes of muscle waste as we age. Our brain and muscles talk to each other. The stress we put on our muscles increases our psychological resilience to the stresses of ageing. I was excitedly taking notes while Maria was speaking. The gist of her message was Regular exercise combined with weightlifting are one of the secrets of ageing with resilience! 

Take a look at the late Raymond Moon, once a heavy cigar smoker and drinker without a single care about his health and fitness. At age 84, Moon was awarded the 2009 Guinness World record for being the oldest bodybuilder! He died aged 90.

In my next post, we’ll meet other inspiring speakers at the conference – Peter Halas, Elizabeth Chong and Profs Lynette Riley and Gordon Parker.

I’m sure many of you know the line from the Beatles’ 1967 hit, “Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64?”. Well, those lyrics no longer apply. It’s never too early or never too late to join a gym – I joined at 67. Sixty-four? Whatever. I’m not done yet.

From all of us at Shirl’s Pearls – Shirley, Lina, Sam, Amos, Kristie and Dave – wishing you a HEALTHY, HAPPY & RESILIENT 2023!

“You have provided a good summary of the presentation by Professor Maria A. Fiatarone Singh AM who presented evidence-based examples of how exercise, and in particular resistance training promotes physical, emotional, and cognitive resilience. Hopefully as Maria has done, your blog will motivate people to sign up and start exercising.” (Daniella Kanareck, Clinical Manager, Older Persons’ Mental Health Service)