>> Dr. Terry Simpson: When my son was three years old, we started him

skiing. He loved it. When he fell onto his behind,

onto his butt, he jumped back up and would ski

down the hill like nothing happened. Pure rubber.

Now I am 53 years his senior. That same year, his

mom watched me do an inadvertent 360 degree twirl

on the slopes. She asked me, if you broke a wrist,

when could you go back to work? I replied that I

could probably, uh, have some surgery and go back

to work if I didn't have a complex fracture in

about six weeks. The difference between a flexible

young body and an older body is key here. And yes,

I retired from skiing that year and now stay in

the lodge, write and make them great dinners. The

point is this, your older body needs more work to

keep flexible, strong and balanced as time goes

on. I've seen too many independent seniors lose

their independence after a fall in their own home.

Sometimes they never recover. They go from living

on their own to spending their last days in a care

center, sometimes never leaving bed. And that is

in health span. You want a fall to be like my

son's on your butt and back up. But too many fall

and can't get up. This isn't a commercial for that

pendant around your neck. This is a plea for you

to begin doing something with your muscles. We've

talked a lot about the microscopic world of

longevity. The tiny powerhouse of the

mitochondria, the caps on our DNA called

telomeres, and even those fascinating molecules

like NAD and urolithin A that keep our cells

humming. It's all highly technical and it's all

incredibly important. But today I want to get you

out of the lab and into the gym. Because there is

one single accessible and non prescription

activity that is arguably more potent than any

supplement on the shelf when it comes to living a

long healthy life. I'm talking about resistance

training, lifting heavy things, pushing against

something that pushes back, not just your

significant other. It is the single best defense

we have against frailty, metabolic disease, and

the inevitable slowing down that comes with the

decades. And that's exactly what we're going to

break down today. How, uh, muscle is your

metabolic savings account, how lifting weights

changes your bone structure and the absolute best

way to get started, regardless of your age. I am

your Chief Medical Explanationist, Dr. Terry

Simpson, and this is Fork U Fork University, where

we make sense of the madness, bust a few myths and

teach you a little bit about food and medicine.

When we talk about longevity, we focus on

cardiovascular health. A, uh, strong heart, clear

Arteries. And that's critical, no doubt. But the

single greatest threat to functional independence

as we age isn't heart disease. It's sarcopenia.

Now, that's a fancy medical term for age related

muscle loss. After about age 30, we start losing 3

to 8% of our muscle mass per decade. By the time

you hit 70, that loss accelerates dramatically.

This isn't just about looking less toned. It's

about losing the ability to stand up from a chair,

to carry groceries, to open a jar, or more

critically, to catch yourself when you trip. The

resulting falls are often catastrophic. So where

does the food and medicine part come in? It's all

about metabolism. Your muscle is your single

largest organ for glucose disposal. Think of it

this way. When you eat, your body releases glucose

or sugar into your bloodstream. You, your pancreas

releases insulin to, uh, usher the glucose out of

the blood and into your cells for energy. The vast

majority of that glucose is parked in your muscle

cells. More muscle means better insulin

sensitivity. It means your body is more efficient

at regulating sugar. This is the bedrock of

preventing and managing type 2 diabetes. This is

why resistance training is not just a gym

activity. It's a powerful pharmaceutical

intervention for metabolic health. But here's the

real kicker and the reason we connect the big,

heavy dumbbell to the tiny, microscopic cells.

Small things are benefited by big things. It turns

out that increasing muscle mass, resistance

training has a direct positive effect on two of

the biggest microscopic drivers of aging we've

discussed. Mitochondrial function and telomere

health. When you challenge your muscles, you

signal your cells that they need more energy. This

stimulates your mitochondria, those cellular

powerhouses, to become more numerous and to become

more efficient. Better mitochondrial function

equals more energy and less oxidative stress. Even

more fascinating, studies show that resistance

training actually increases the activity of the

enzyme telomerase. Telomerase is the same enzyme

responsible for maintaining those protective caps

on your DNA, the telomeres, so you don't have to

take a fancy expensive NAD or telomere boosting

supplements. Picking up a dumbbell costs less, but

yields more. You get your muscle strength, the

better metabolism, stronger bones, and the

cellular benefits all at once.

But let's talk about bone density, especially for

women, but really for everyone. We know calcium

and vitamin D are important, but they are only a

part of the equation. Bone is living tissue. It

responds to stress. When you lift a weight, say a

heavy kettlebell, or even your own body weight in

a squat, the mechanical force of that stress

signals your bones that they need to grow

stronger. This Process is called the mechanostat

or the mechanostat principle. Without that heavy,

high intensity mechanical load, the bone density

naturally declines, leading to osteopenia and

osteoporosis. If you're only doing low impact

cardio like swimming or walking, you're doing

great things for your heart, but you are not

sending the signal to maintain or increase bone

mineral density. To strengthen bone, you have to

load it. You have to lift heavy enough to make

your body say, whoa, I need to reinforce the

structure. But let's do some myth busting here, a

couple common myths, and let's dive into some

practical, actionable tips. Myth 1 I'm too old to

start lifting weights. This is patently false.

Studies, including those focused on people in

their 80s and 90s, consistently show that body

retains the remarkable ability to build muscle and

increase strength. Even well into advanced age.

You have nowhere to go but up. I need to work out

every day. In fact, you absolutely need to do not

rest is where the magic happens. Two to three

times a week is often sufficient, provided those

sessions are challenging enough. Here's a

practical Focus on compound movements. Don't waste

your precious time on isolation exercises like

bicep curls. Focus on compound movements that

involve multiple joints and multiple large muscle

groups simultaneously. Think squats, deadlifts,

overhead presses, rows and lunges. These movements

mimic daily life and train your body as a unit,

which is key for fall prevention. Speaking of

which, comprehensive tips beyond the barbell.

While pure resistance is key, true independence

hinges on mobility and balance. This is where

functional training, including yoga, plays a huge

role. My favorite yoga classes are a combination

of bodyweight resistance and cardiovascular

movement. I look for the physics, the movement,

the resistance and the balance. And I try to keep

the woo of yoga out of it. And a yoga mat isn't

nearly as expensive as some supplement, but it

will make a fall easier to recover from. Now, if

you're getting started, get help. Having a great

gym coach to help with form is paramount. Shout

out to my friends Jeremy, the Hulk and the Ziggler

Monster. But it's equally important to enlist a

private yoga instructor to ensure you are not

misaligned and that they know what you are looking

for. Now a shout out to my yoga instructor, Swan.

And yes, Swan, I'll be doing more classes this

year. Practical tip number three Master

progressive overload and protein. Your body adapts

quickly, so you must continually increase in

demand. Remember, resistance training is the

stimulus, but protein is the building material.

Aim for a protein intake of around 0.5 to 0.7

grams per pound of body weight per day. And let's

not forget that smoothie with a protein to

facilitate things right after the workout. The

reason we train is not just to be strong. It's so

that if you fall when you're 65 or 75 or 80, you

have enough strength, stability and awareness to

get yourself back up. That's the true mark of

functional longevity. Now let me give you two

examples of why this ability matters. A fellow was

admitted to a facility after he broke a hip before

he fell. He lived on his own, was a local champion

bowler and enjoyed life and community. He simply

slipped on a rug and fell and was found a day

later brought to the hospital and had his hip

expertly fixed. He spent the next year of his life

mostly in bed, getting up a few times to try

rehab, but ultimately died of COVID 19, in a long

term care facility. One fall that he couldn't get

up changed his life, his outlook, and sadly, it

was not a fun year for him. I want to contrast

that with my own dad. He took a fall at age 96

trying to trim a tree. Yes, trimming a tree at age

96. It took a bit of effort and he received a

stern warning from his son, me, a neighbor and a

few EMTs who came along when the neighbor saw him

take the spill. But he got up. Uh, he lived

independently until age 98, except thankfully, he

couldn't cook a lick and he stopped driving at age

96, for which the state of Oregon thank Tim. But

this kind of preparation matters because the

statistics are sobering. For people over 65, falls

are the leading cause of injury death. Breaking a

hip especially, is a life changing event.

Tragically, studies show that up to 30% of seniors

who fracture a hip lose their independence

entirely and about 20% die within a year. Training

for strength, balance and fall recovery isn't just

wellness, it's literally life assurance. It

literally is healthspan. We're even taking this

training on the road this year with our

Mediterranean cruise, which we hope to have in

August of 2026, where we will have an instructor

to help you with some simple movements. Not just

to get big biceps, but things so that if you fall,

you can get up by yourself. Not this year, but

maybe in 10 years or 20 years. You want to start

building muscle now. Resistance training combined

with functional movement is the macroscopic lever

that pulls those microscopic switches. It's the

closest thing to the fountain of youth and it

doesn't require a prescription, it just requires

effort.

Thanks for listening. Please check out my

blog@yourdoctorsorders.com or forkdue.com for full

reference to and more information about the topic.

This was written and researched by me, Dr. Terry

Simpson. And while I am a board certified

physician, I am not your physician. Before making

any changes to your diet, supplements or physical

activity routine, please check with your board

certified doctor and registered dietitian. Not a

chiropractor, some functional holistic salesperson

of supplements and scams. All things audio were

done by my friends at Simpler media and the pod

God, Mr. Mr. Evo. Tara producer girl Productions

made me more interesting than I really am in real

life. Have a good week everybody. Hey Evo. I'm

thinking about those compound movements. What's

heavier? A squat rack full of plates or the weight

of a producer's deadline? Yeah, there's so many

places I thought you were going to take that. Uh,

uh, I'm happy with that. Right there. Hey man.

Resistance training for the wind. In fact. Shit.

I've got about 45 minutes before he gets here.

Damn.