Fit & Strong is the New Skinny

A 2021 Ipsos survey found that over 50% of people in Western countries connect “being thin” with being healthy. They think a lower number on the scale means better health.

I, too, am guilty. I would love/hate to count the number of days across my lifetime I have been on a diet, or been put on diet by my mother (yes, exactly!).

But we now know that being thin is no guarantee of longevity, strength, or vitality. In fact, it can have the opposite effect. It’s fitness—not weight—that determines how well we age, how resilient our bodies become, and how much joy we extract from life.

The Science of Fitness as You Age

1. Muscle Mass and Strength: Your Body’s Armour Against Aging

From age forty onwards, it resembles a slow erosion that wears away at our muscles. This process, called sarcopenia, turns once-powerful legs into wobbly stilts and makes everyday tasks—carrying groceries, climbing stairs, even standing up from a chair—feel like Olympic feats. But lifting and pushing anything that’s heavy for us, called resistance training, is like fortifying a castle, strengthening our muscles to stand tall against the passage of time.

Muscle isn’t just for movement; it’s an endocrine organ. It releases myokines. These compounds boost brain function and reduce inflammation. They help protect against dementia and depression.

2. Cardiovascular Fitness: The Engine That Keeps Running

Think of your heart like a car engine: the better you maintain it, the longer and more efficiently it runs. Studies show that cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is one of the strongest predictors of longevity. Even if someone carries extra weight, a well-trained heart dramatically reduces the risk of premature death.

Elite endurance athletes can have a resting heart rate below 40 beats per minute. While you don’t need to aim for that, improving cardiovascular fitness will keep your heart strong and steady.

3. Fitness: The Ultimate Shield Against Chronic Disease

Heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis aren’t just in textbooks. They’re the silent thieves that steal years from our lives. But fitness acts like an invisible shield, lowering the risk of these chronic illnesses. Research in The Lancet found that even moderate physical activity can reduce the risk of premature death by up to 30%.

Exercise makes more mitochondria, the energy powerhouses in your cells. This can help you feel younger and more vibrant as you grow older.

4. Metabolic Health: Why BMI is an Outdated Scoreboard

We’ve long treated BMI (Body Mass Index) as a health report card, but it’s about as reliable as judging a book by its cover. Research now shows that being “metabolically healthy” matters far more than a low BMI. Fit individuals with a higher BMI can have better metabolic health than thinner, sedentary people.

Some lean people have “TOFI” (Thin Outside, Fat Inside). This means they store harmful visceral fat around their organs, even though they look slim.

5. Bone Density and Mobility: The Framework That Holds You Up

Bones are like the scaffolding of a building—strong when reinforced, brittle when neglected. As we age, bone density experiences a natural decline, which raises the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Weight-bearing exercises, resistance training, and impact activities strengthen our bones. This helps lower the risk of falls and fractures.

The Takeaway: Strength, Stamina, and Mobility Over Skinny

Instead of chasing a lower number on the scale, focus on building a body that moves with ease, power, and endurance. Here’s how:

Lift and push weights at least twice a week to maintain muscle and bone density. Get your heart pumping, on one of our Peletons, the treadmill, with brisk walks, or swimming. Prioritise mobility with yoga or Pliates to keep your joints fluid and pain-free. Eat for strength, not restriction, to fuel your body with proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbs.

The bottom line? Unless you’re obsese, the number on the scale won’t tell you if you can hike up a mountain, play with your kids or grandkids, or carry your groceries without help. Strength, endurance, and mobility are what keep us thriving. Choose fitness over thinness, and your future self will thank you.

Here’s to being fitter, stronger and happier.