When Living Longer Living Stronger™ began more than 18 years ago, it really was unique in the community. Previously, it was not common to see older Australians entering their local gym and the advice from their health providers was often ‘Don’t do too much!’ Bed rest was even prescribed for back pain!
We like to think COTA Victoria and Living Longer Living Stronger™ have helped change the conversation about older people and strength training. How do we know? We have thousands of Australians who share their stories of the benefits that regular and progressive strength training can provide.
Benefits like:
- being able to run after (and keep up with) grandchildren (and great-grandchildren!)
- enjoying and re-joining sport
- enjoying the social benefits of friendships formed at their local Living Longer Living Stronger™ sessions
- staying independent longer
- avoiding falls and feeling confident that they can get up again after having one.
The folk who have enjoyed Living Longer Living Stronger™ have consistently told us that their goal is not necessarily to live longer, but they continue to enjoy doing the things they love, longer.
Living Longer Living Stronger™ was also designed for those without chronic conditions. Unfortunately, in the past 20 years we have seen a steady rise of chronic conditions rather than a decline.
Our beloved program needed to evolve to better reflect the changing needs of our participants.
We are happy to announce the renaming and upgrading of our Living Longer Living Stronger™ program, which will now be called Strength For Life. We believe our program provides participants with the physical ability to continue doing the things they love, for longer!
Check out our new logo:
The other key change we have made to the program is to officially include physiotherapists and exercise physiologists. They will work alongside exercise professionals but will be grouped under a different tier title.
Tier 1 will refer to physiotherapists and exercise physiologists, who are qualified to prescribe exercise for chronic conditions. Their services may be subsidised by your health insurance or a care plan from your GP.
Tier 2 will continue to be delivered by passionate exercise professionals, and a progressive and individual strength training program will be written and reviewed regularly.
Our goal is to encourage more older Australians – regardless of their starting ability or health concerns – to build their strength and better enjoy their lives right now.
Look out for our national launch coming soon!
To find a Strength For Life program near you, visit our website or phone 1300 13 50 90.