Strength, Flexibility, and Balance: The Trifecta for Longevity and Legacy

Aging has always intrigued me.

From my 20th birthday when I was finally free of that horrible “teenager” label -- to my 40th birthday when I felt I would finally be respected by the older executives I was teaching and coaching -- to my 60th birthday when I was just a few years beyond two life-threatening conditions and mortality seemed more real than ever – to my 70th birthday which created for me and others around me a range of assumptions, biases, self-limiting beliefs, awe, inspiration, and contracting attitudes.

While it’s common for people to say “age is just a number”, the psychological, physiological and emotional reality is far more challenging for the average human (Boomers, I’m talking to you. GenXers, you’re feeling it too. And you millennials who are bemoaning your 34th or 39th birthdays, bless you my child).

Having researched this field extensively over the past several decades – and having been my own test subject on longevity and youthful vitality – it’s exciting that so much scientific evidence has now established that maintaining strength, balance and flexibility is a prescription for longevity.

As someone who has mentored entrepreneurs, executives in career transition, and many others seeking greater career satisfaction and impact, it has been notable to me that this same triad of strength, flexibility, and balance also applies to creating a successful career and legacy in these ways:

The strength of our career as a match for our passions and talents; the flexibility to adapt with minimal friction to a rapidly changing workplace and planet; and the balance to remember we are more than our job and more than our body.

Before we explore our work and career passions, let’s discuss how this trifecta unfolds, especially as we age.

1.    Strength

Whatever our age may be, it is universally true that we need to stay strong and get stronger in order for the rate of aging to decrease and our enjoyment of life to increase.

Physical strength is a vital predictor of longevity and quality of life. Studies have consistently shown that higher levels of muscular strength are associated with lower risks of death from all causes.

A landmark study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that muscle strength, measured by grip strength, was inversely related to mortality, regardless of BMI or physical activity levels.

Strength training not only enhances muscle mass but also improves metabolic health, reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

This should be exciting news for those with a fatalistic view of relentless physical decline in the body.

We can control much of what happens to us.

For most people, however, an aging body is a stiffening body.

2. Flexibility

Flexibility, or the ability of joints to move through their full range of motion, is essential for preventing injuries and maintaining mobility with age.

Research in the Journal of Physiotherapy indicates that regular flexibility exercises can improve musculoskeletal health, reduce pain, and enhance functional abilities.

Muscles, ligaments, joints, and bones all become more brittle as we age – unless we are proactive and we exercise in a balanced way every day -- so as a result we become more susceptible to serious injury and chronic pain.  

Muscles, joints, and ligaments that are limber and fluid help us stay active so we dramatically reduce the chance of injury and a quickening decline.

Strong muscles and joints with little to no flexibility are much less useful than a not-quite-so-strong muscle with joints that are highly flexible.

Incorporating activities such as yoga or dynamic stretching into daily routines can help preserve joint health and mobility, contributing to a longer, more active, and more youthful life.

In my work with the HeartMath Institute over more than three decades I have observed a strong correlation between the flexibility of our attitudes and and the vitality of our physiology.

Rigid, resistant, or defensive attitudes create rigid physiology where muscles seize up and fluidity of movement is very difficult.

Rigid attitudes equal resistance, and this affects the quality of relationships, as well as the ability to adapt to change at work, in your family, or in society.

The more resistant to change we are in our attitudes, the more our body stiffens and hardens.

However, the more flexible are our attitudes to work, family, life, and money, the more flexible can become our physiology. The more our attitudes and emotions can flow, the easier it is for our body to be relaxed and supple.

Conversely the more we give attention to keeping our body flexible (as well as strong), the more our attitudes to life become more resilient and youthful.

A virtuous circle.

3. Balance

The final segment of our Trifecta is balance.

Balance is a word that sounds negative for many people, or an “impossible dream”.

For some, balance equals boredom, a dull life.

I’ve often thought of highwire artists who lead lives of crazy adventure, tension, and excitement. It hardly seems like a balanced lifestyle, facing death or severe injury every time you perform your job.

At the core of a highwire artist’s success – and indeed their survival – is the ability to make hundreds of micro-adjustments as they attempt the long walk across the high wire. With each gust of wind, every loud sound, a sudden flash of light, or even the peaks of fear, an extremely refined attunement to balance is needed in every moment.

Balance on a high wire is not boring or dull. It’s the key to survival.

We are all high-wire artists in our own drama.

We all have challenges that could crush others, so our task is to continually make micro-adjustments to maintain the balance we need to survive and thrive.

If you’re a reader in the 40+ category (and some younger ones) you may have already noticed occasional physical balance issues if you haven’t exercised vigorously for awhile, and haven’t stretched much either.

Balance becomes more critical as we age because once-strong muscles can’t hold us as well, and brittle joints and ligaments react rigidly to slipping or tripping and don’t have the malleability we once had.

We’re stuck in a vicious circle of weakening health and strength diminishing our energy and dampening whatever desire we could have had to move out of our chair or to get up off the sofa.

Balance is crucial for preventing falls, a leading cause of injury among older adults. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine highlights that balance exercises can significantly reduce the risk of falls.

Good balance relies on muscle strength, flexibility, and the proper functioning of sensory systems. Practices like Tai Chi have been shown to improve balance and stability, thereby minimizing the risk of falls and related complications.

[Diet is a factor of course, with a range of foods and beverages that increase inflammation in all these essential parts of our body – I’m talking to you fast foods, high trans-fat foods, high carb drinks and sugary desserts -- so exercising can be more painful and more demoralizing.]

Strength, Flexibility and Balance in our Work Life

Think more deeply now about why Strength, Flexibility and Balance are also essential for your work life -- for your job, your startup, or your next career. How can they be applied to your career quest, finding your “why”, and feeling fulfilled by your work in the world?

Here are some clues:

Strength: At work, strength translates as resilience and the ability to pivot and adapt to unexpected challenges. Developing a strong skill set, a clear, appreciative sense of your strengths and talents, and the emotional resilience to bounce back from disappointment or failure enable people to navigate more gracefully through setbacks and emerge stronger.

Continuous learning, never-ending curiosity, and emotional adaptability are the foundations of career strength, helping you have sustained growth and advancement.

Flexibility: Career flexibility involves the willingness to adapt to changing circumstances and embrace new opportunities. In the face of dizzyingly fast technological advancements and shifting industry landscapes, flexibility can mean the difference between thriving and becoming obsolete. This could involve pivoting roles, acquiring new skills, or even changing career paths entirely. You could still step in a pothole, but your recovery will be much smoother.

Balance: Achieving work-life balance is crucial for long-term career success and personal well-being. It involves managing work commitments while ensuring ample time for personal interests, creative expression, family and important social connections, and rest. Sustaining a focus on balance – and all those micro-adjustments -- prevents burnout, increases productivity, and enhances overall job satisfaction.

Six Tips for Enhancing Strength, Flexibility and Balance

For Health and Longevity:

1. Incorporate Resistance Training: Engage in strength training exercises, such as weight lifting or bodyweight exercises, at least twice a week to build and maintain muscle strength.
2. Practice Daily Stretching: Dedicate time each day to stretching exercises to improve flexibility and decrease the risk of injuries.
3. Engage in Balance Activities: Regularly participate in activities that challenge your balance, such as Tai Chi, yoga, time in Nature, grounding, meditation, mindfulness, or breath exercises and balance challenges like standing on one leg.

For Your Legacy:

1. Cultivate Resilience: Develop a strong work ethic and resilience by setting challenging but achievable goals. Embrace failures as opportunities for growth.
2. Stay Adaptable: Be ready to pivot as industry trends change and continuously update your skill set. Be open to change and ready to expand your comfort zone.
3. Prioritize Work-Life Balance: Set clear boundaries between work and personal time. Make time for hobbies, exercise, and relaxation to recharge and maintain high performance at work. Recognize there is no “perfect balance” in life, but rather many, many micro-adjustments. Stay true to you.

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Love is never wasted.