“As you get older you get weaker and become more frail. Imagine a magic pill that could turn the clock back 10 or 20 years. With all the research we have, resistance training is the closest you are going to get to a magic pill,” says Dr Jack Cannon of Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Human Movement Studies. Dr Cannon’s PhD research showed that resistance training can improve the quality of life in older women. Last year in conjunction with the Bathurst Information and Neighbourhood Centre he and colleague Dr Rylee Dionigi ran the Promoting The Power In You program for Bathurst residents over the age of 60, with remarkable results. Dr Cannon and Dr Dionigi found that all the participants reported feeling much better both physically and mentally during and after their 12-week exercise program. Dr Cannon says, “They were able to do things they were not able to do previously and things they were able to do, they could do with a lot more ease. One said instead of struggling to pull herself out of the bath, she was almost jumping out. Someone else said they were riding their pushbike in fifth and sixth gear instead of third gear. They would play golf all day and come home fresh and be able to cook dinner and walk the dogs, instead of just crashing on the couch.” Jim Glen was one of the participants last year. “The gym undoubtedly did help, I felt much stronger. My wife thought I was trimmer. I recommend it often to people.”