New health promotion charity Strong Australia has launched National Strength Day to help Australians stay stronger for longer.
Dr Coralie Wales OAM has spent decades working to improve health outcomes for Australians. But it was watching her own mother gradually lose the strength to do the everyday things she loved that inspired her latest mission.
Over many years, she watched her mother, Bonnie Jean Tosswill – a prolific artist and fiercely independent woman – become increasingly frail. The activities that had defined her became harder, her independence declined and, at times, she felt decisions about her care were being made around her rather than with her. Like so many families, Dr Wales accepted it as an inevitable part of getting older. Now, she believes it doesn’t have to be.
That deeply personal experience inspired the creation of Strong Australia, a new health promotion charity dedicated to making strength a national health priority and helping Australians stay stronger, healthier and independent for longer.
To mark its launch, Strong Australia has established Australia’s inaugural National Strength Day, to be held mid August each year. They just hosted an event at University of Sydney which brought together leading experts in medicine, exercise science and public health to shine a spotlight on one of Australia’s most overlooked preventive health measures.
Muscles and strength neglected
Australia spends an estimated $270.5 billion on healthcare each year, yet only around 2 per cent is invested in public health, of which only a small proportion supports prevention of conditions such as frailty. Strong Australia believes improving muscle strength should be recognised as a fundamental part of that prevention agenda.
Dr Wales said watching her mother’s gradual decline led her to ask one simple but powerful question: Did this really have to happen?
‘Watching Mum lose her strength was heartbreaking. It wasn’t one dramatic event. It happened gradually, almost invisibly, until the things she loved and the independence she valued were no longer possible.
‘I remember the day Mum told me she no longer had the strength to get in and out of bed, so she decided to sleep in her chair instead. Like many Australians, I assumed this was simply what ageing looked like, but I later realised that while ageing is inevitable, losing strength doesn’t have to be.
‘Strong Australia exists because we want Australians to understand that strength isn’t about appearance or athletic performance. It’s about having the physical capacity to keep doing the things that matter most throughout life.’
Professor Meredith Makeham, General Practitioner and Associate Dean for Community and Primary Health Care at the University of Sydney, said maintaining muscle strength should become a routine part of preventive healthcare.
‘Maintaining muscle strength is fundamental to healthy ageing. It helps people remain independent, recover from illness and continue doing the things that matter most. As Australia’s population ages, maintaining muscle strength should be a routine focus of preventive healthcare.’
Strength training, living stronger
Exercise scientist academic Dr Jackson Fyfe, Senior Lecturer in Strength and Conditioning Sciences at Deakin University, said strength training was one of the most effective health interventions available.
‘Strength training isn’t just for athletes or younger people. It’s one of the most effective ways people of all ages can improve their health, maintain their independence and enjoy a better quality of life.’
Dr Wales said she hoped National Strength Day would become an annual reminder that strength was fundamental to healthy ageing and should be valued throughout life.
‘We spend a lot of time talking about living longer. We also need to be talking about living stronger. If we can help Australians maintain their strength for longer, we’ll improve not only individual health and wellbeing but help people continue living the lives they want for as long as possible.’
Strong Australia is encouraging Australians to visit the National Strength Day website to learn more about the campaign, sign a petition calling on the Australian government to make strength a national health priority, and share their own stories about how maintaining strength has helped them, or someone they love, live healthier, more independent lives.
