When you think about “strength,” you usually envision large muscles and weightlifting. But this article, from mindbodygreen.com, makes a fascinating — and very persuasive — case for another muscle area.
It’s a “muscle region that’s essential for strong, healthy aging. Any guesses? Hold on tight — today, we’re talking about grip strength.”
Does it matter? Absolutely: “Research shows that grip strength is an important indicator of longevity“
The article points out that grip strength comes from a whole group of muscles in your hands, wrists, and forearms. In fact, every time you grip something, you activate more than 35 muscles.
What’s more, grip strength has been used as a proxy measurement of overall muscle strength. So it’s worth paying a lot more attention to.
Luckily, you can improve your grip strength by starting with low (or no) weight resistance, and gradually work your way up. The article offers many ideas, some of them simply a part of daily activities and others requiring weights.
The easy-to-do activities include squeezing a tennis ball, wringing out wet clothes, and carrying multiple grocery bags in your hands while maintaining a strong grip.
The “base program” is something we can all do at home:
- Do 50 tennis ball squeezes
- Carry your groceries mindfully, focusing on your grip
- Wring out wet clothes before drying
After that comes weights. The article recommends using bands or light weights 1-2 times a week, and describes in detail the kinds of exercises you can do.
We love the idea of making 2024 the year we all get a grip!