# Physical strength and flexibility in 2026

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/aging-with-strength-7179340/physical-strength-and-flexibility-in-2026
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/aging-with-strength-7179340/physical-strength-and-flexibility-in-2026.md
Podcast: [AGING with STRENGTH®](https://stenobird.com/podcast/aging-with-strength-7179340)
Published: 2026-01-16T20:55:25+00:00
Episode link: https://www.agingwithstrength.com/p/physical-strength-flexibility-2026
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/184620890/d499973069bfc227c0d67b928fa08891.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/aging-with-strength-7179340/episodes/physical-strength-and-flexibility-in-2026
Duration seconds: 342

## Resource

Last January, I published an audio & text essay, Physical strength and flexibility in 2025 . The thesis was that our bodies are meant to move and that, for healthy aging, some form of strength training —which need not be intense or include more than your own bodyweight—is non-negotiable. My goal, I wrote, was to “ get both stronger and faster, and leaner and more flexible .” (Oh, is that all?) I also said I wasn’t after bigger muscles but greater neuromuscular efficiency . Looking back, my 2025 goals bring to mind a childhood admonishment from my grandpa, when I failed to eat what I’d put on my dinner plate: “Your eyes were bigger than your stomach.” In 2026, I’m organizing around a simple mantra: Move your body. Every day. With purpose. The simplicity of this 11-syllable mantra is intentional. A year ago, I wrote about jumping rope, bar squats and box jumps as means to achieve my personal physical strength and flexibility goals. The jumping rope habit stuck, thankfully, but bar squats—one of my oldest and most reliable weighted exercises—no longer work for me, I realized after one too many “uh-oh” setbacks. (If you’re interested in a fuller explanation of my break up with heavy bar-squat routines, drop a note in a comment, and maybe I’ll write a separate post about that.) On the other hand, moving with purpose for just 20 minutes a day is a goal that each of us can interpret and tailor to our 2026 physical strength and flexibility goals. What does “with purpose” mean? Moving with purpose simply means intentionally putting your body into motion and your muscles into positions of healthy stress . For some people, gardening or a brisk walk is sufficient for their goals and bodies. For others, moving with purpose means resistance training, practicing yoga or pilates, a sh…

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## Transcript

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