PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE AND STRENGTH TRAINING

Science proves the links between strength training and preventative medicine, and why strength training is an important part of health promotion and disease prevention.

We are so passionate about helping people become fitter, stronger and healthier, we have teamed up with GP Dr Laura Surmon.

She is not just a GP, she comes from a research background and has extensive experience across medical, scientific and academic fields. She specialises in men's and women's health and wellbeing, and loves what we do at Physique.

We are so excited to be teaming up with her!

Here are some of the benefits of strength training:

GP Dr Laura

1. Reduces Risk of Chronic Disease and Mortality. People who do strength training have lower risk of early death from all causes, heart disease, cancer and diabetes compared with those who don’t.

2. Lower mortality and disease risk are key goals of preventative medicine, the idea of stopping disease before it starts.

3. Improves Metabolic and Cardiovascular Health. Strength training improves blood sugar control, insulin sensitivity, and lowers blood pressure, all risk factors for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Muscle acts as a metabolic organ, helping store glucose and improve cholesterol profiles.

Essentially, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease are leading causes of global illness and death, strength training directly targets those risk pathways.

4. Supports Bone Health & Fall Prevention. Strength training increases bone mineral density, which helps prevent osteoporosis and fractures, particularly important as we age. Stronger muscles and better balance reduce fall risk, a major contributor to disability in older adults. Osteoporosis and fall-related injuries are common but largely preventable with targeted exercise.

5. Enhances Functional Capacity & Quality of Life. Strength training improves daily function, mobility, and ability to do everyday tasks, important for independence with ageing. It can also slow age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia), which contributes to frailty. Maintaining physical function is a major objective in preventative geriatrics.

6. Supporting Mental Health and Cognitive Function. Strength training is linked to reductions in anxiety and stress, and may support cognition in older adults. Mental health prevention and cognitive preservation are increasingly important in medicine. Exercise as “Medicine” emphasised that strength training is a core component of therapeutic exercise prescriptions for both healthy people and those with chronic conditions.

This reinforces that it’s not optional fitness — lifting weights, strength training, is medically relevant to health and our wellbeing. It's actually medicine, preventative medicine.

References:

Harvard Public Health

Harvard Health

Oxford

PubMed

Rochester Regional Health

Prof. Wayne Westcote

To find out more about how we can help you to be healthier, stronger and fitter, contact either us or Dr Laura directly at:

www.morganamedical.com.au