If you’ve been trying to figure out the ideal exercise routine- whether it be lifting weights or just moving your body- don’t fret because it makes sense to spend time on both. Each type of exercise is essential to help ensure you live a long and healthy life. Research studies have shown that a combination of aerobic physical activity and strength training is ideal for reducing your mortality risk and supporting your mobility and functional independence. Of course, before you embark on any exercise routine you’re best off checking in with your primary care physician to make sure your plans make sense for your circumstances. And some simply cannot, or will not, engage in sustained exercise for long periods. For them, the advice continues to be that anything you do is better than nothing. But if you’re committed to doing something regularly, then the ideal is to create the time and space for both movement and muscle building.

New research underscores the value of both. Regarding movement and aerobic activity, for most, the easiest and most direct path toward getting your heart rate up is simply to engage in regular walking. No need to think about day-long hikes or extended periods on walking trails. Just a daily 30-minute walk can help lower your risk of stroke, burn calories, bring down your cholesterol, and is even associated with lowering your risk of certain types of cancer. And if you can switch up the speed, varying between a brisk and normal pace, all the better, as this increases your heart rate variability and insulin resistance. A new research study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reported that walking at a brisk or normal pace (as opposed to a casual pace) is associated with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that the risk for Type 2 diabetes declines once you begin walking at a pace of about 2 ½ miles per hour. Moreover, these anti-diabetes benefits accrue no matter how long you walk, as long as you pick up the pace. An after-meal walk is especially helpful in maximizing your glucose utilization. These results correspond with existing knowledge that a faster walking speed is also associated with better muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness. So pick up the pace, and read more about this study here. In fact, walking speed has become such an important marker of good health that it’s now considered “the 6th vital sign” to assess health and well-being, along with the usual signs that include blood pressure, body temperature, and respiratory rate.

If we switch it up and focus on the equal necessity of strength training, here, too, there is positive research to discuss. In a new study published in the Human Kinetics Journal, researchers found that even adults in their 80s or 90s who had never previously undertaken strength training could make significant progress by adhering to a supervised weight-lifting program three times per week. Even at these later ages, substantial muscle mass can be built, and strength and mobility can be improved. Whether using free weights or your own body weight as a type of resistance, if you are load-bearing and building muscle, you will be able to continue to undertake the physical movements necessary to carry on your daily life, such as lifting heavy objects, getting in and out of a chair and reaching for and carrying groceries or other items. This sort of strength training- often called functional strength training– will allow you to remain independent and functional well into your later years. For some video illustrations of a functional strength training routine, pick up a free weight and click here. And for an indoor routine that combines the essential elements of movement and strength training, check out this video from Yes2Next here.