Last week I went to a new studio and tried a form of strength-based exercise I'd never done before. I was completely out of my comfort zone, but I left feeling mentally stronger than I expected.

I've noticed that I often put myself in situations where I'm learning something new, even when I'm not completely comfortable. Research on curiosity and ageing suggests that this may be good for us in other ways too, with studies linking staying curious and engaged with new experiences to better cognitive health in later life.

That doesn't mean going to a new class is going to make me live longer. But it did make me realise that continuing to learn and try new things may have some other benefits for ageing well.

This may be why I left feeling mentally stronger, as well as physically.

So it's not just physical strength we should hold on to, but the willingness to keep trying, learning and putting ourselves slightly outside our comfort zone. And perhaps this is something we have to be a little more intentional about as we get older.

That's also led me to think about the things I want to still be able to do, not only next year, but also in twenty or thirty years.

Go for a run. Walk along the beach. Hike somewhere beautiful without watching every step. Just ordinary parts of a life I'd like to keep having.

A few issues back, I talked about balance, how it changes with age, and how balance training can help reduce the risk of falls. It's easy to think of falls as a distant statistic, but those ordinary things on my list rely on many of the same things: strength, balance, mobility and confidence in what I can do.

Trying a new class, learning something we're not good at yet, challenging our strength, or simply staying open to new things may be helping us build more than we realise.

For me, it's about doing what I can now to stay strong, mobile and capable for as long as I can.

Something to reflect on: what are the ordinary things you want to still be doing years from now, and is there something you can do now that might help you keep doing them?

Edel ✨

Next time: what changes about training at this stage of life, and what doesn't.