Last week 72-year-old Carol told me, “I walk every day… so why am I still afraid of falling when I carry groceries?”

Carol walks 45 minutes most mornings. That’s wonderful — but it turns out walking alone is like eating only salad and wondering why you’re still low on protein.

Here’s the truth researchers at the University of Alabama discovered when they followed 1,500 adults over 70 for six years:

• Daily walkers who did no strength or balance work lost leg power twice as fast as those who added just two short sessions a week.
• After six years, the “walk-only” group needed canes and walkers far sooner.

Walking is fantastic for your heart, mood, and joints. But it does almost nothing for the fast-twitch muscle fibers that catch you when you trip… or the balance reactions that keep you upright on ice [although I guess we don’t have to worry about much ice here in Naples 🤣]

Think of it this way: Walking keeps the engine running. Strength & balance work installs the brakes and steering wheel.

Try this 5-minute “test” this week (no equipment):

1. Sit in a firm chair.
2. Stand up without using your hands.
3. Sit back down slowly (3–4 seconds).
4. Repeat 8–10 times.

If that felt hard or you had to push off the armrests, your legs are asking for more than just walks.