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Everyday tasks like standing up, sitting down, carrying groceries, or reaching for items on a high shelf tend to get more difficult with age. That’s why two Kansas State University experts are encouraging older adults to keep moving.

Sharolyn Jackson, K-State Research and Extension’s family and consumer science specialist in northeast Kansas, says muscle loss begins around age 30 and speeds up in the 50s and 60s. But regular strength training can slow or even reverse that process.

Jackson and Ashley Svaty, a specialist in K-State’s Northwest Research and Extension Center in Colby, lead an eight-week program called Stay Strong, Stay Healthy. Designed for older adults, the program focuses on strength, balance, and flexibility through guided exercises twice a week. Participants receive fitness assessments, equipment, and support from certified trainers.

Since launching in Kansas in 2015, 52 extension agents have been trained to lead the course. The program has also been shown to improve sleep, ease arthritis, reduce disease risk, and help adults stay independent and active in everyday life.

More information about the program, including registration and dates of upcoming classes, is available at https://www.k-state.edu/staystrong.

A longer conversation with Jackson and Svaty on the program can be heard on the June 6 segment of Sound Living, a weekly podcast from K-State Research and Extension.