Updated

Updated · AAP News · Aug 13

Dr. Coralie Wales Launches Australia’s First National Strength Day for Older Adults at 65-plus

Updated

Updated · AAP News · Aug 13

Dr. Coralie Wales Launches Australia’s First National Strength Day for Older Adults at 65-plus

Q: If walking daily isn't enough to stop frailty, what missing habit is truly stealing our independence as we age?

The missing habit is regular muscle-strengthening exercise. Experts in the Australia story are clear that walking is valuable for heart, brain and cancer risk, but it does not do the same job as resistance work. Strength training is what helps older adults preserve muscle, improve balance, reduce falls and keep doing daily tasks such as getting out of a chair, climbing stairs and carrying groceries. That matters because frailty is often driven by age-related muscle loss, or sarcopenia, which can begin decades before old age and accelerate later in life. Research cited in the supporting material shows this muscle decline is closely tied to loss of function and independence. It also shows that even short routines can help: a Penn State study found adults 65 and older improved chair stands, balance and sit-to-stand speed after 12 weeks of just four minutes of daily strengthening exercises. The practical target repeated across the evidence is at least two days a week of muscle-strengthening activity, alongside regular walking and other movement. That can include resistance bands, bodyweight exercises, chair stands, wall push-ups, step-ups or light weights. For older adults, balance and mobility work also matter, as do less sitting and adequate sleep under a 24-hour movement approach. So the independence many people fear losing is often not being stolen by age alone, but by neglecting strength. Walking helps people live longer; strength work helps them live more independently.

3 articles · Updated · AAP News · Aug 13

Friday marks Australia’s inaugural National Strength Day, created by Dr. Coralie Wales to push older adults toward strength training after watching her mother lose mobility, independence and identity through frailty.
Two or more days of muscle-strengthening activity a week are recommended for older adults, exercise scientist Jackson Fyfe said, arguing strength work is essential for climbing stairs, cutting falls risk and staying independent.
A 2025 University of Sydney study found 7,000 daily steps can deliver many of the same benefits as 10,000, but Fyfe said walking and strength training serve different purposes and both are needed.
Strong Australia, the charity Wales also founded, is urging Canberra to spend more on prevention as national health costs reach an estimated A$270.5 billion a year and only about 2% goes to public health.
The federal government says it is already acting through its LiveUp healthy-ageing program and updated 24-hour movement guidelines for people aged 65 and over, including muscle-strengthening advice.