Happy Monday friend! Hope you've had a restful weekend.
We live in an era of endless biohacks, stacks of supplements, and the new 'thing' to supposedly be the key to your health.
Some of these are admittedly useful - I really like traditional and infrared sauna for example - but I do think there is a lot more hype than actual substance in most.
It also means some of the more established and important tests for health and wellbeing get brushed under the carpet.
There are two in particular that the scientific data suggests are crucial to keep tabs on – and the great thing is that they are very cheap and easy to measure.
They are blood pressure and grip strength.
I'm going to run you through why they are both really important, what my recent results taken a few days ago were (and what they mean), why you should also test them – and how you can improve your numbers with nutrition and lifestyle.
I will also link both of the tools I use at the end of the email.
Grip strength
You might ask "how does my grip strength correlate with how long I will live or how healthy I am"?
You'd be surprised: there is a mountain of evidence on it that shows how important it is for long-term health.
Grip strength is - in simple terms - the amount of force that you can generate through your hand and forearm muscles when squeezing an object.
It's usually measured using what's called a dynamometer (the strange-looking black object in the image above).
The way the test is done is easy: you sit down, put your elbow and forearm at a 90 degree angle while holding the dynamometer, and you squeeze as hard as you can.
Strong results are associated with a ton of different health benefits:
- This study of over 140,000 people showed that higher grip strength was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (dying from any cause) and lower risk of cardiovascular disease & death
- Another systematic review looking at a number of different studies - with over 3 million people - showed that lower hand grip strength was linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer
- It's also a good indication of overall muscle strength, efficiency of your nervous system and also overall function
So what results are good? Here's a table below that shows grip strength norms for men and women at specific age ranges (results in KG):
So how can you improve grip strength? Things like heavy deadlifts, pull-ups (weighted is a bonus), rows, and farmer's carries are great to do.
As for my own personal result? I hit 60.6kg, which as a 37-year-old man puts me above the 75th percentile.
So a result I'm happy with and according to the science, is a good sign it comes to longevity and vitality.
🌱 A quick note before I continue...
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Blood pressure
Blood pressure is something that everybody knows exists.
If you've ever been in the hospital for any reason, you've probably had a blood pressure read done on you before things move forward.
But...it seems so many of us just aren't aware of just how important this marker is in the context of health.
When it comes to cardiovascular disease and early death, hypertension – elevated blood pressure – is the single most modifiable risk factor.
Meaning if it can be controlled through lifestyle (or if really necessary medication), then it can help avoid numerous deaths: the World Health Organisation actually estimates that high blood pressure accounts for around 7.5million deaths globally.
That's no joke.
So why are all these longevity gurus never saying anything about blood pressure given how important it is? Your guess is as good as mine.
It's such an easy marker to check: get a blood pressure machine (I will link the one I use at the end), sit in a chair with your upper arm level with your heart.
Hook up the cuff to your bicep area and start the process, and your device will give you two readings:
- a systolic number (the top number, denoting pressure in your arteries when your heart pumps blood out) and
- the diastolic number (the bottom number, the pressure when your heart relaxes and fills with blood).
120/80 is widely known to be a useful benchmark for what is optimal in adults - but of course you may experience some flux either way.
Anything between 90/60 and 120/80 is considered normal - with consistent readings of >140/90 considered hypertension.
My result as tested on Saturday is below:
So this is fairly normal for someone like myself who does a lot of resistance training, carries a fair amount of lean mass (I'm 95kg) and as a result has increased cardiovascular output from my strength and conditioning.
I did also test after an oat flat white (caffeine can temporarily raise systolic blood pressure) and I slept pretty poorly as my daughter has a bit of a cold! So those two things may have slightly affected things.
I'll probably test again in the next few days but all in all, its a result I'm happy with.
How can you improve your results and lower your BP?
- Consume plenty of magnesium and potassium-rich foods (nuts and seeds, legumes, potatoes, bananas)
- Fibre rich foods support vascular health and weight control - provide good BP management
- Be mindful of sodium intake
- Proper recovery (sleep!!!)
The takeaways
I want to stress this: testing and getting data to improve your health and vitality shouldn't be done from a place of obsession, but from a place of awareness.
These aren't tests you should just be doing every single day, fretting over and driving yourself crazy.
It's really about focusing on your daily habits that are in your control: lifting weights, focusing on your cardiovascular fitness, eating a fibre-rich plant-focused diet, getting adequate rest and managing your stress levels adequately.
If you do those, then every 6 months or so (or whenever feels right for you) you can test and see how you're improving.
It's not about chasing perfection, but just remaining aware.
And as I said, these two markers are easy to check - with hugely positive effects going forward.
Regarding tools used, this is the dynamometer I use to test grip strength (costs £19/$25, and should also be available on the US Amazon site), and the blood pressure monitor that I use (costing £20/$26).
I'd say they are definitely worth getting - cheap, and with so much upside for health.
Have a great week!
Stay healthy,
Jeff