Strength Gives Us Options: Why It Matters at Every Age
When you hear the words strength training, what comes to mind?
A gym full of weights? Building bigger muscles? Something you know you should be doing but haven’t quite gotten around to?
I’d like to challenge you to think about strength a little differently.
Strength isn’t just about what you can lift. It’s about what your strength allows you to do.
For the contractor or landscaper, it’s having the physical capacity to lift, carry, bend and work throughout the day. For the lawyer or accountant who spends hours at a desk, it’s maintaining the strength and mobility to counter the demands of prolonged sitting.
For a busy parent, it’s carrying a sleeping toddler upstairs without worrying about their back.
And for all of us, it’s maintaining the ability to do our jobs, manage our responsibilities and enjoy the activities that matter to us.
Our Bodies Respond to What We Ask of Them
One of the most remarkable things about the human body is its ability to adapt.
Challenge your muscles appropriately, and they become stronger. Load your bones, and you stimulate the processes that help maintain bone strength. Practise balance and coordination, and those abilities can improve.
But the opposite is also true. When we stop challenging our bodies, our physical capacity can gradually decline.
And that matters whether you’re 30, 50 or 75.
But strength isn’t simply about muscles. Every movement we make depends on communication between our brain, nervous system, muscles and joints. Our nervous system coordinates that activity, while our spine provides both protection for the spinal cord and a foundation for movement.
That’s where chiropractic fits into the conversation. As a chiropractor, my focus is on spinal integrity, mobility and how well the brain-body connection is functioning. Chiropractic adjustments can help us move and adapt to the realities of our lives with ease, while appropriate strength training helps develop the muscular capacity to meet the demands we place on our bodies.
These aren’t competing approaches. They’re complementary ways of supporting our ability to move and function well.
And whether you’re lifting equipment on a job site, spending long hours at a desk or wrestling with your kids, that ability matters.
The question isn’t simply whether we’re strong enough for what we’re doing today. It’s whether we’re actively maintaining and building the physical capacity we’ll need for the life we want to live tomorrow.
Join Us for Strong for Life
On Thursday, November 5, I’m joining forces with Jennifer Sawyer, owner of North End Fitness and Training, to present STRONG FOR LIFE, a community workshop focused on building strength, improving physical capacity and understanding how our bodies adapt.
We’ll explore why strength matters at every age, what happens when we lose it, and practical ways to maintain and improve it.
Whether your work is physically demanding, you’re sitting at a desk all day, or you’re simply interested in staying active and capable in every stage of your life, this workshop is for you.
STRONG FOR LIFE — Community Workshop
Thursday, November 5, 2026 | 6:30–8:00 PM
Port Perry United Church, 294 Queen Street, Port Perry
Presented by Dr. Shawna Dingman of Elevate Women’s Health Centre and Jennifer Sawyer of North End Fitness and Training.
Strength gives us options. Let’s make sure we keep them!
Learn more and register: www.ElevateWomensHealth.ca/strong-for-life-foundations
Dr. Shawna Dingman has been a chiropractor since 2000 and is the owner of Elevate Women’s Health Centre in Port Perry.
