National

Strength training 'magic pill' to reduce cost of ageing

Feb 26, 2026

Personal trainer Jan Herdman — Strength training can be a key to independence well into the senior years of life, Jan Herdman says. -PR IMAGE

Women who are embracing strength training in their forties, fifties and beyond are aiming to prevent physical decline that often leads to requiring aged care services.

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For Sally Jenning, 63, watching her mum decline as she aged has been a wake-up call to her own health.

"I'm part the generation on the cusp of change, we understand that the way previous generations have gone is not quite right," she told AAP.

"Women often prioritise ourselves after everyone else, but I realised if I don't look after myself I won't be there for my girls and be able to help if and when they have their own children."

Ms Jenning began strength training and ensuring she was fuelling herself with quality foods.

"I wanted to try and prevent that physical decline from happening as much as I could, because you can't stop life," she said.

"But there's been no looking back, my hands haven't been aggravated, my back is stronger, the muscle definition is starting."

Women are often taught to believe life is simply downhill after they reach 40, but age transformation coach and personal trainer Jan Herdman wants to change that narrative.

She is an advocate for strength training as the key to a person's independence well into their senior years.

"For years we have normalised frailty as part of ageing," Ms Herdman said.

"Muscle loss, not age, is what pushes people into dependence ... strength training is the most effective way to protect muscle mass, mobility and independence as we age."

Caring for her elderly mother for eight years before her death shifted Ms Herdman's perspective on what it means to age well.

"I wanted to prove we can be the best version of ourselves at any age," she said.

"The magic pill is strength training, it helps post-menopausal women, it keeps us out of age care and it increases our social circle."

In 2023/24, Australian federal, state and territory governments spent $36.4 billion on aged care with the largest proportion on residential care services, according to data compiled by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

But it was often a loss of muscle, mobility and balance that led to aged care admissions, not age or medical conditions, Ms Herdman said.

"We often don't make changes in our lives until life slaps us in the head ... no one is prepared for how age impacts you," she said.

"Prioritising strength will keep people out of aged care and out of that dependency on nurses and the health system and it would help reduce the cost of ageing."