fitnessrevolution

Being Strong is So Damn Cool

Strength is the true base for good health, confidence, and a long life.

Every January, many people focus on looks, but research shows that building strength is what really leads to health, confidence, and a longer life. The good news is, looking better comes with it—if you eat well, too.

Before you sign up for another 8-week challenge that pushes you too hard and has you eating too little, let me explain why real strength matters.

Strength Feels Good (Literally)

Lifting weights often boosts your mood and energy by releasing endorphins and helping your cells work better.

Study: Harvard researchers found that strength training reduced anxiety symptoms by up to 20–30%, which was sometimes even more effective than cardio for certain groups.

Many therapists now recommend exercise to help people manage depression.

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Strength Builds Confidence

Getting stronger is linked to greater self-efficacy, which means believing you can handle tough challenges.

Study: A review in Sports Medicine found that resistance training can greatly improve confidence, self-esteem, and how capable people feel, no matter their age.

You can see it happen—when someone gets stronger, they start to carry themselves with more confidence.

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Strength = Independence

Having more muscle and strength are two of the best signs that someone will live longer and stay independent.

Study: A 2018 JAMA study found that people with stronger grips had much lower chances of dying from any cause.

Another study in The Lancet found that leg strength is a strong sign of how well someone will move and stay independent as they age.

It also feels great when someone at the store offers to help you lift something heavy and you can confidently say, “I got this!”

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Strength Transforms Your Physique

Building muscle is what actually gives you the definition most people hope to get from just dieting—that’s the “tone” everyone talks about.

Study: Research in the International Journal of Obesity found that people who do strength training keep more muscle and lose more fat than those who only diet, which leads to better long-term results.

Building muscle and strength can really boost your body’s ability to burn fat.

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Bottom Line

If you want to feel better, move better, age better, and yes, look better, strength training is the best tool we have.

Strong is the new cool.

Best of Health

Imran
Results Fitness London

Muscle Research Shows Muscle Isn’t optional, it’s essential Because the relationship between muscle wasting (sarcopenia) and mortality wasn’t fully understood, researchers conducted a large meta-analysis to clarify the connection. What they found was hard to ignore and proves how important strength and muscle are for aging well.

A review of 49 prospective studies following 878,000+ people for as long as 32 years proved this:

• People with lower muscle mass had a 36% higher risk of dying from any cause.

• They were also more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, and respiratory illness.

Nearly a million lives, tracked over decades, all pointed to the same conclusion: Muscle isn’t optional, it’s absolutely essential.

Many people tend to think of muscle as a “fitness thing.” In reality, it’s a “health thing.”

Muscle is metabolically active tissue. It helps:
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• Regulate blood sugar
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Reduce inflammation
• Support immune function
• Protect joints and bone density
• Maintain balance, stability, and independence

In short, muscle is your body’s built-in health insurance policy.

And strength absolutely counts, too. It’s not only the amount of muscle you have — it’s how well it works. Research consistently shows that stronger adults live longer.

The formula is simple and doable at any age (i.e., don’t tell yourself that it’s too late to start):

1. Strength train 2–3 times per week. Focus on functional movements you can progress over time. Functional movements mimic what we do in real life and make everyday tasks doable without assistance.

2. Eat enough protein. Research supports .54 to .73 grams per pound of body weight per day to support muscle repair and growth. And some studies promote 1 gram per pound of body weight. So, a 150-pound person would eat 110-150 grams per day. Not there yet? Start on the low end of the suggestion.

3. Prioritize recovery. Good sleep and stress management matter more than most people think. 4. Start today. Muscle loss accelerates with age — but strength training can slow, stop, and even reverse it.

Building muscle isn’t about training like a bodybuilder. It’s about staying healthy, capable, and independent for as long as possible.

And the research is crystal clear: More muscle = a better chance for a longer, healthier life.

Want help building a routine or dialling in your training? You know where to find us.

Best of Health

Imran

Results Fitness London

P.S. Ready to take the first step? Schedule your free, personalised assessment. It’s simple, supportive, and tailored to you.

If you’d like to discuss a FREE assessment, just reply with ‘assess’ in the subject line, and I’ll follow up with you

Most people don’t wake up one day and suddenly feel “old.”

It’s usually quieter than that.

You start avoiding certain movements.
You’re a little more careful on stairs.
Getting down to the floor feels optional… until it doesn’t.

And at some point, it’s easy to assume this is just what aging looks like.

But here’s the truth I see over and over again:

It’s not aging that slows people down. It’s what they stop training.

Strength, balance, and coordination don’t disappear because of birthdays.
They fade when the body stops being asked to use them.

Walking is great. Stretching helps.
But neither teaches your body how to:

• Catch itself when you trip
• Get up from the floor confidently
• Carry, reach, twist, and stabilize under real-life demands

So the body adapts by doing less.
And eventually, that feels like decline.

The good news?
That process is reversible.

When people start training the things they quietly gave up on—balance, strength, control, confidence—their body responds. Not overnight. Not magically. But steadily.

They move with less hesitation.
They trust their footing again.
They stop shrinking their lives around their body.

Aging doesn’t require surrender.
It requires a smarter approach.

More on that soon

Best of Health

Imran
Results Fitness London

P.S. Ready to take the first step? Schedule your free, personalised assessment. It’s simple, supportive, and tailored to you.

If you’d like to discuss a FREE assessment, just reply with ‘assess’ in the subject line, and I’ll follow up with you.

There’s something many people don’t notice until it happens to them:

Being strong enough and feeling confident enough are not the same thing.

I see it all the time.

Someone might have the strength to stand up from a chair, step off a curb, or get down to the floor,

but their body still hesitates.

Not because they’re weak.

It’s because trust is missing.

Confidence in movement isn’t a personality trait.
It’s not bravery.

And it’s definitely not about pushing through.

It’s a learned response.

Before almost every movement, your body quietly asks a question:
“Do I feel safe doing this?”

If the answer isn’t clear, your body slows you down.
Even when you’re capable.

That’s why people begin to move more slowly.

They start holding onto railings they never needed before.

They avoid the floor, stairs, or uneven ground.

Many think the answer is to try harder.

Or to be more careful.

But confidence doesn’t come from either approach.

It comes from proving to yourself, again and again, that you can do it.

You need proof that your body can load, balance, bend, and recover safely.

You need proof that nothing bad happens when you move with control.

You need proof that you’re not fragile.

When you see that proof, something changes.

Your movements become smoother.

Decisions feel easier.

The hesitation goes away.

That’s the real difference.

Strength is what your muscles can do.

Confidence is what your nervous system believes.

The good news is,

you can train confidence just like you train strength.

It happens one calm, successful rep at a time.