Clearly, your body changes as you age. I learned this lesson years ago when my son was three years old. We started him skiing, and he loved every minute of it. When he fell, he tumbled onto his behind, jumped right back up, and skied down the hill like nothing had happened. He was pure rubber and resilience.

However, I was 53 years his senior that year. I did an inadvertent 360-degree twirl on the slopes myself. His mother saw me and immediately asked if I had broken my wrist, wondering when I could return to surgery. The difference between a flexible young body and an older body is critical. Consequently, I retired from skiing that season and now enjoy the lodge, where I write and make them great dinners.

Indeed, your older body desperately needs work to stay flexible, strong, and balanced as time goes on. I have seen too many independent seniors lose everything after a simple fall in their own home. They go from living on their own to spending their last days in a care center, sometimes never leaving bed. This outcome is not healthspan. Instead, you want a fall to be like my son’s—just on your butt and back up. Sadly, too many fall and cannot get up. This isn't a commercial for a safety pendant, but a sincere plea for you to start working your muscles.

Specifically, we talk frequently about heart health and clear arteries in longevity. Those things are unquestionably crucial. Nevertheless, the biggest threat to functional independence as we age is a condition called sarcopenia. This is the medical term for age-related muscle loss.

Unfortunately, we start losing about 3 to 8 percent of our muscle mass every decade after age 30. That loss accelerates quickly once you hit 70. This problem is not just about looking less toned; fundamentally, it is about losing the ability to stand up from a chair, carry groceries, or, most importantly, catch yourself when you trip. The falls that result are often catastrophic.

Amazingly, resistance training is effective at the microscopic level, too. We have talked extensively about the tiny, complex mechanisms of the cell, but here is the key takeaway: small things benefit from big things.

In fact, increasing muscle mass through training has direct, positive effects on two major microscopic drivers of aging: mitochondrial function and telomere health.

To elaborate, when you challenge your muscles, you signal your cells to create more energy. This signal forces your mitochondria—the cellular powerhouses—to become both more numerous and more efficient. Better mitochondrial function equals more energy and less cellular stress.

Moreover, studies show that resistance training actually increases the activity of the enzyme telomerase in some cells. Telomerase helps maintain the protective caps on your DNA called telomeres.

Therefore, you don’t need to buy fancy, expensive supplements like NAD or telomere boosters. Picking up a dumbbell costs less money but yields more results. You gain muscular strength, better metabolism, stronger bones, and the cellular benefits all at once.

Let's consider how muscle mass influences your diet. Your muscle is actually your body’s largest organ for glucose disposal. Think of it like this: when you eat, your body releases glucose (sugar) into your bloodstream....