Paulina's Strong Bones 40+

What many people overlook is that strength training is not just about looking fit — it is about preserving independence for life.

The movements you practice in the gym become the movements that protect your future.

Squats help you rise from chairs, toilets, or the floor without relying on help.

Deadlifts train your body to lift heavy objects safely — whether that is groceries, luggage, or your grandchildren.

Walking and conditioning protect your stamina so you can keep moving freely as you age.

Core training strengthens balance and stability, reducing the risk of falls that can lead to serious injury later in life.

This is the deeper purpose of exercise:

To remain capable, mobile, and self-sufficient for as long as possible.

Many people only think about health when decline has already begun.

But loss of strength, mobility, and balance often starts decades before the consequences become obvious.

The truth is simple:

If you do not train your body for life now, life may eventually force limitations upon you.

Exercise is not punishment.
It is preparation for aging with dignity, strength, and freedom.

Keep Going, Believe In Yourself

Most people assume bone density is something that quietly declines as you age, and there's not much you can do about it.
That's not quite right.

Your skeleton is living tissue. It responds to the demands you put on it. If you put the right demands on it consistently, it responds by getting denser and stronger.
The problem is most people either don't know what those demands are, or they're doing only one of them.
Here's what the evidence actually points to:
* Resistance training builds bone density... When your muscles pull on your bones underload, your body lays down new bone tissue. Squats, deadlifts, farmer carries - these are the exercises that drive that response. 2 to 3 sessions per week is the threshold most research points to.

** Impact training builds bone density too ... jumping, hopping, and stomping create forces that travel through the skeleton. Your bones adapt to those forces by getting stronger. Even short bouts of impact, done regularly, have been shown to improve hip and spine bone density in older adults. (only do this if it is safe for you personally.)

** Brisk walking maintains it ... walking doesn't build bone density in the way the first two do, but it keeps what you have. It's low risk, sustainable, and worth doing every day regardless.

Most people in their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s are doing one of them at best. Doing them all together is where the combination becomes powerful 💪🏽🦴💪🏽🦴💪🏽

Good afternoon everyone! 💪🏽😃

Just a note about Knee Pain

Every knee is different. Different age, different history, different injury.

Strengthen the QUADS:
Most people with knee pain have weak quads. The quadriceps are the primary shock absorber for the knee. When they're weak, the knee takes the load instead.

Strengthen the GLUTES :
The glutes control the alignment of the entire leg. Weak glutes mean poor hip control - and poor hip control puts the knee under stress.

Lengthen the CALVES:
Tight calves alter the way your foot, ankle and knee absorb force with every step. Loosen the calves and take pressure off the knee. Best done little and often as an 'exercise snack'.

These 3 key things, that's usually it. Not because knees are simple, but because the body tends to follow predictable patterns and these 3 strategies address the most common ones.

See you tomorrow 11am for prevention exercises to look after your knees! 👏😃👌

Paulina 💪🏽 🦴

 Most people believe ageing means inevitable decline...  that they are finished, not capable of learning, adapting, and growing. 
But science shows:
your brain still rewires... your muscles still build... your tendons still adapt.

When you load a muscle, tiny micro damage happens at the fibre level. Your body activates satellite cells which are specialised repair cells to help the muscle rebuild by increasing protein synthesis. Protein synthesis simply means your body is using dietary protein to help to rebuild muscle so it's thicker and stronger (on the day between workouts) That rebuilding process is called an anabolic response.
Yes, this response can slightly decrease with age, but it doesn't disappear.
So if muscles still adapt, what about the tendons?... they adapt too! Mechanical loading helps to stimulate collagen production... Collagen being the structural protein which helps to give your tendons strength.
Collagen fibres align alongside the direction of force and that is tissue remodelling. Your tissues will literally reorganise themselves to handle more load effectively.
This process is called mechanotransduction and it will continue right across a person's lifespan.
So.. if the brain adapts, if muscles adapt, if connective tissue adapts, then what's actually stopping people?

Research from Yale shows that when people internalise negative beliefs about ageing they move less, and when they move less the decline accelerates. Belief influences behaviour. Behaviour influences psychology and physiology.
Sometimes limitations are not biology - it's Belief.
And I think that's tragic.

Your nervous system still adapts. Your muscles still synthesise protein. Your connective tissue still remodels.
So it's scientifically inaccurate for you to think that you're finished.
It might take longer. It might require smarter progressions, but you're not broken, you're not done! Get up. Try again. Never give up! 💪🏽💥😃

💪🏽 🦴
I learnt something new today – the science of physiology – wow – it's always deepening...

It starts with Lactic Acid – and a layer that I wasn't aware of with significant implications for our brain, particularly as we age.
You know the feeling ... 4th lap of the 800m at school athletics – the stitch in your side that feels like you're being stabbed with a stiletto. Thigh muscles burning asking you to stop...
Jane Fonda built a fitness empire on that feeling "Feel the Burn!" It was she who made this phrase famous and we have run with it ever since. If it's not hurting, it's not working...
The culprit we were told was Lactic Acid.

Lactate, hydrogen ions, and phosphate accumulate. The hydrogen ions drop the pH and create the burn. The phosphate interferes with contraction and your legs turn to concrete.
And here is where it gets really interesting… The lactate we've been blaming for the burn turns out to be a Superfuel for your brain and your heart! 😃

Lactate crosses the blood-brain barrier and feeds your neurons directly. When lactate is available, the brain reduces its glucose uptake by around 17%, preferring this byproduct of muscular effort as its primary energy source.

At elevated levels it can supply up to 60% of the brains total energy!

But it's not just fuel in the way that glucose is fuel. Lactate triggers the release of BDNF, Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor, which promotes new brain cells, strengthens the connections between existing neurons, and protects against age-related cognitive decline.
Its supports mitochondrial biogenesis, the creation of new power plants inside your cells.
This isn't just an energy source – it's a Superfuel!
The body is simultaneously experiencing local distress in the muscle AND sending premium nourishment to the most important organ you have.
Whatever your chosen work out – the benefit of taking it to high intensity is extraordinary! The lactate-driven brain optimisation; the BDNF that literally grows new neurons; mitochondrial biogenesis that reverses cellular ageing; the bone density; the improved insulin sensitivity; and the cardiovascular conditioning.

The mental clarity we feel after a hard workout? It's not just endorphins... It's your brain running on the Superfuel your muscles made for it 😃💪🏽🦴 🧠 💓

Classes underway for 2026!
Tuesdays 9am
Thursdays 11am
Woody Pt Memorial Hall

No need to book, first class is complimentary, wear closed sport shoes 👟 and bring a water bottle. No experience necessary. We are a friendly bunch!
💪🏽 🦴😃

We are not powerless when it comes to losing memory with age. In a recent study of 5 different exercise types – resistance training, aerobic exercise, mindbody exercise (Eg. tai chi or yoga), high intensity interval training (HIIT), and mixed routines - we see which gives the greatest boost to brain health. The clear winner for OVERALL brain function was resistance training (weights). Just two 35-40min Sessions per week for 12 weeks led to the biggest improvements in thinking speed, attention, and mental flexibility.
Researchers believe this may be linked to increases in a brain-protective chemical called BDNF which helps nerve cells grow and communicate.
Mind-body exercises were best for multitasking, and working memory, while aerobic activity ( e.g. brisk walking or cycling) gave the biggest boost to brain blood flow and long-term memory. This suggests a combination of several types of exercise is optimal for brain health.
This is exactly the approach we take inside our 1.5hr classes - with Low Impact Cardio, Resistance work, Posture, Balance and Mobility, and Stretching all included.
( no floor work )
Mons 11am
Tuesday 9am (starter level)
Thurs 11am
@ Woody Pt Memorial Hall
Everyone is welcome! 
We restart Thursday 8th January 😃💪🏽🦴