In this post, we discuss why we’re living longer but in worse health, and why resistance training can help to reverse this worrying trend.
Did you ever see WALL-E? The film about a litter-picking robot trying to save the planet?
In the film, humans have evolved to sit, shop, and look at screens. Travelling around in hover pods, eating, and talking to each other via screens.
Although it’s nearly 20 years old it seems even more prescient now than it did back then.
Is this where we’re heading? Is this peak human? The statistics are beginning to show worrying trends.
Living longer in worse health
A comprehensive study has shown that the health of western nations is actually declining, despite the fact we’re living longer.
Researchers from UCL and Oxford University found that rates of chronic disease, obesity, and disability have increased across successive generations in western countries since 1945.
Baby boomers were found to be more likely than previous generations to have cancer, lung disease, heart problems, diabetes and high cholesterol as they entered their 50s and 60s.
It appears our lifespan is increasing but our healthspan isn’t keeping pace. This creates more years lived with pain, disability, and dependence on others.
Why are we in worse health than previous generations?
There is obviously no single factor, but a combination of lifestyle changes since the 1940s are likely to blame.
This can perhaps be summarised as a reduction in general activity levels — as western societies have used technology to eliminate physical work — combined with an abundance of calorie-dense, nutrient-deficient food.
In general, modern life leads to less daily movement, more body fat, less muscle, and more chronic low-grade inflammation.
Over decades, this results in weaker muscles, poorer joint function, and reduced metabolic health. So by the time we reach our 50s and 60s, we’re biologically older than previous generations were at the same age.
Perhaps more concerning is where we go from here, as AI begins to fill white-collar roles.
In the best case scenario, we have more time to focus on maintaining our bodies for our increased lifespan. In the worst, we edge closer to the WALL-E depiction: more time spent sitting, less time moving.
Resistance training is the countermeasure
The good news is that this trajectory isn’t inevitable. Resistance training directly targets the core drivers of these changes — and in doing so, closes the gap between lifespan and healthspan.
It preserves and builds muscle, countering age-related muscle loss and improving the strength that reduces disability risk.
It improves metabolic health by increasing insulin sensitivity and helping regulate body composition.
And it supports joint function — better load tolerance means less pain, and less pain means more movement.
Done consistently and done well, resistance training is one of the most powerful tools available for maintaining function as we age.
So why aren’t more people doing it?
Despite the evidence being clear, only 7% of men and 4% of women participate in regular strength training in the U.K. The gap between what the research recommends and what people actually do is striking.
The barriers are well documented: resistance training can feel inaccessible, intimidating, or simply irrelevant — particularly for those already dealing with pain or injury.
There’s also a lack of clinical guidance bridging the worlds of healthcare and exercise. Most people are told they should do it, but rarely shown how to do it safely and specifically for their needs.
This is where the research — and the practice — needs to focus.
Summary
The problem isn’t that we’re living too long — it’s that we’re losing function too early.
Resistance training, guided by someone who understands both the body and the evidence, is one of the most effective tools we have to delay that loss.
That’s exactly what we’re here for.