How Something as Simple as Grip Strength Can Transform Our Health

Grip strength is our ability to hold onto something firmly and securely with our hands.  Grip strength may be one of the most important indicators of our overall health and longevity—much like how blood pressure reflects the risk for heart disease.

That handshake, that ability to open a jar, or carrying the groceries can tell us a story about our bones, heart, brain, and even our mood.

Research shows that weak grip strength isn’t just about our hands. It can signal bigger health concerns, including:

• Poor nutrition status

• Low bone density

• Risk of falls and fractures

• Higher likelihood of cardiovascular disease

• Increased chance of cognitive decline

• Greater vulnerability to depression

• Reduced mobility

• Shorter life expectancy

That’s because grip strength is a mirror—reflecting the strength and coordination of the nervous system, muscles, joints, and our overall vitality.

Can Strengthening Our Grip Reduce These Risks?

Here’s the truth: while grip strength is a marker—not a magic pill—it’s tied to the habits that result in good health.

Building our grip strength often means:

• Moving our body more

• Engaging our muscles through resistance

• Improving our balance and coordination

• Supporting our joints

• Stimulating circulation

• Reconnecting our brain with our body

All of these things help reduce the risk of chronic diseases. So yes, improving our grip strength can absolutely support our longevity and resilience.

How do we cultivate grip strength?

We strengthen our grip by gripping things!

Sounds simple, and it is, but we must do so consistently and intentionally. These are simple exercises that we can incorporate into our life! Choose an exercise to do three or four times per week. Add them as a daily tasks, during walks, or as part of a morning or evening wellness routine.

I think of these exercises as small shifts in the right direction that can make a huge impact on our health.  We don’t need fancy machines or a gym membership. We can use our own body, some everyday objects, and a little bit of time each week.

Six Simple Exercises to Improve Our Grip Strength

Here are my favorite go-to movements for developing strong, healthy hands:

1. Squeeze a Tennis Ball
   Hold a tennis ball in one hand and squeeze it for 3 to 5 seconds, then release. Do 10 to 15 reps on each hand. Excellent for everyday strength and stress relief.

2. Hand in a Bag of Rice
   Stick a hand into a bucket or bag of uncooked rice. Open, close, twist, and move your fingers around. This engages small muscles that don’t work as much as the larger muscles of the hand.

3. Wring Out Wet Towels
   Just like it sounds. Soak a towel, then wring it out as if doing laundry by hand. It builds functional strength and trains the wrists and forearms.

4. Hold Dumbbells While Walking (Farmer’s Carries)
   Pick up a pair of heavy dumbbells and walk slowly and steadily. This strengthens our hands, arms, shoulders, and core all at once

5. Wrist Curls
   Sit with your forearms resting on your thighs, palms up, and a dumbbell in hand. Curl your wrists upward, then slowly lower. You can do the reverse curl too—palms down.

6. Finger Flexes Against a Band
   Place a resistance band around your fingers and try to open your hand against the tension. Great for balancing out all the gripping we do.

Improving our grip strength isn’t just about opening pickle jars and lifting weights. It’s a message to our body that we are still connected to our strength. We are still capable of improving our body. And we are worthy of vitality.

So go ahead—grip something. Squeeze, twist, hold, and flex – to affirm our power to live a strong, long, and joyful life.

References: doi: 10.2147/CIA.S194543