We know that exercise can help you live longer but follow the advice here and you may find that it will also help you stay young
While explorers and scientists have long searched for the fountain of youth, it turns out that it’s been in front of us all along—exercise. There are countless studies that confirm frequent physical activity can help reduce the risk of certain diseases and prevent some of the problems that come with age. But can exercise go even further, and simply prevent us from ageing at all? In some ways, it can, but we have to focus on specific types of training. Here we explain what they are.
A recent paper published in the journal Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care addresses the issue of exercise and ageing, covering the latest findings on the levels and types of exercise that can lead to living longer and keeping our bodies young. “Meeting the currently recommended amounts of leisure time physical aerobic activity of moderate intensity of at least 150 min/week provides most of the longevity benefit,” writes author Bente Klarlund Pedersen. “Performing three to five times the recommended physical activity minimum reaches the maximal longevity benefit that can be achieved.”
What if you decide to do more? “Although it is not dangerous to perform even higher amounts of exercise, the benefit may decrease. A high maximal oxygen uptake in midlife is a strong marker of longevity, whereas muscle mass is a critical prognostic factor in aging and cancer.”
Okay, we know that 300 to 500 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity is enough to stay young, but which exercises should we do? According to the paper, “Endurance exercise, including high-intensity training to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, promotes longevity and slows down aging.”
Resistance and strength
So, if we want to stay young and healthy in the long run we have to do endurance exercises. Aerobic endurance options include running, jogging, and cycling, among other sports. Muscular resistance exercises can be calisthenics, but also include other workouts such as presses and curls.
However, these exercises can also lead to a loss in body mass. It’s recommended that you add resistance exercises to strength training, which could include calisthenics such as push-ups and squats. Among other workouts, deadlifting is one of the best exercises you can do to work all the muscles in your body.
For the most part, you don’t need a complicated exercise routine to stay young; you can run daily and integrate a moderate- to high-intensity calisthenics routine which may be enough. If you want more, you can always throw in barbells and weights for a few more exercises.
It’s also important to remember that it’s not all about exercise. To stay young you need to follow a balanced diet as well and avoid bad and harmful habits. Processed foods and fast food are known to speed up the ageing process, so it is best to stay away from them.
The good thing about coming up with an easy routine to keep yourself young is that you don’t need a lot of help or a personal trainer. You can even do it at home. All you need are some weights and a treadmill or, even better, get outside to improve your oxygen intake. If you think staying young was only for those who can devote hours to the gym, then you’re mistaken. Try starting with running, then add calisthenics, and you’ll be good to go. And remember to watch your diet too.
