@WavyDavey,
If you like, I'll give you some thoughts that I haven't confirmed through scientific studies.
Over the years, I've noticed the people who live the longest are steadily active. Not doing formal exercise, but doing things like gardening, household chores, social events, dancing, etc. Things that are called None Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT). My neighbor, who is a very healthy 83, spends his mornings doing some kind of work in the yard. We have a joke going that every time he cuts his lawn, I cut mine -- or is it the other way around? Some days we spend the whole morning alternating cutting the lawn. Not really, but it's a funny picture in my mind.
I haven't noticed very many weightlifters live a long life, but I haven't known too many weightlifters except at the gym.
When people get cancer, many of them lose muscle weight. On the study, I agree there is an association, but it seems to be that the cancer causes muscle loss and not that the muscle loss causes cancer progression. What I have noticed is people who get an absurdly challenging goal live the longest. Take Ruth Heidrich. She got cancer at age 47. She was cured through diet by Dr. McDougall between 1980 and 1984. She also had some operations. She started doing Ironman triathlons. Recently, she ran a marathon.
There were some flaws in the original Aerobics study done by Dr. Cooper. He tilted all the way towards aerobic exercise. Now, he suggests a balance of 100 minus your age in strength training and aerobic exercise. The minimum amount is pretty close to the 20 minutes a day the CDC or whoever recommends. That would be at a pace greater than 4 mph. Strength training is important as we get older so we don't the use of our muscles by losing the neuro-connections. That's a fancy term for literally forgetting how to get up from the floor without assistance from a nearby object like a table. I once saw a woman fall in the middle of the street and she literally could not figure out how to get up. I helped her.
My sister is going on 70 and she lifts almost every day. She uses one 25 pound dumbbell and does a half hour super-set. For many years, she has done 100 reps of jumping rope every time she gets out of the car. Her goal is to be in shape for rowing and kayaking. Not a float trip. A 17-mile trip paddling around a lake. She independently decided to eat virtually the same way I do.
My sister is a retired pathologist and was interested in the combination of eating and exercise for about 40 years. Strength training becomes important for the bones at the point we can't leave the ground when running. Flexing the bones even a minor amount helps to keep them strong. Their circulation system is like squeezing a sponge and releasing it. Calcium pills just build bones that look like chalk. Great on an x-ray, but insanely brittle. Water aerobics is especially destructive if people aren't doing the other work.
At some point, a person has to admit they can no longer go uphill and gain muscle mass. However, it is easy enough to dramatically slow the loss. I've found if I direct my activities towards productive work, I get the same results I did through jogging and weightlifting. The important thing is to burn about 1,000 calories above BMR a day. I have no experience to justify this number except for my weight range. My BMI is about 22 now. Usually, just under. I'm at the same weight I was when I was 19. Yes, I look skinny, but that's my body type.
I have a friend who is close to 70 if not already 70. He has hiked or walked at least five miles a day since he was 19. He also does an insane number of household projects like painting, refinishing bathrooms, installing water heaters, etc. He also spends about 100 days in a row working in the oil fields during the winter so he has money to go on trips during the summer.
One reason I recommend "Whole" by Dr. Campbell is he explains how much of our lives are controlled by advertising and spin. Forget the eating aspect. Once you realize the tricks of the trade, you can see it everywhere. Don't ever get caught up in the medical system to any greater extent than you have to. If you ever get in the hospital, they will try to pile up the expenses every minute of the day. I could easily write a book on this topic. Remember, they get paid for even a passing word in the hall. I had it happen and refused to pay that charge.
My advice, as if anyone really wants it, is to do your research, pick a true north, and head in that direction until you decide if it works or not. If you feel strength training is important, do it as much as you like in any way that you like. Don't worry about what some researcher says. Listen to your body. If your interests change do something else. But whatever happens, stay as active as you can. It's all good.
Hope this helps.
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