If there’s a fountain of youth in this world, it just might be exercise.
Done on a regular basis, exercise has been shown to slow the aging process on a cellular level and add years to your life, whereas not exercising can increase your risk of premature death more than cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or smoking. About 10% of premature deaths in the US every year is caused from lack of physical activity.
Federal guidelines for adults recommend 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity — such as brisk walking, dancing, or cycling — every week, or 75 to 150 minutes weekly of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity — like running, cycling, rowing — plus muscle-strengthening activities at least two days a week. Both cardio and strength training are important to longevity as are exercises that help improve flexibility and balance, like yoga, dance, and tai chi.
Can’t fit in an hour a day of movement? Even small amounts of exercise can give you a longevity boost. One study, for example, found that people who engaged in spurts of movement for mere minutes, three times a day, reduced their risk of death from heart disease and cancer.
Another benefit to exercise? It makes your entire body work better. For example, it can help:
Mix It Up
According to the longevity doctor podcast, the ideal exercise ratio is 50% strength-training and 50% cardio.
Strength-training exercises include:
With cardio exercises, 80% of your workout should be low-intensity, and the remaining 20% should be high-intensity.
Lower-intensity cardio exercises include:
High-intensity aerobic exercises include:
Despite the great number of benefits exercising offers, “it can’t offset an unhealthful diet, smoking, alcohol and drug use, or other detrimental activities like ignoring high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes,” said Dr. David Cutler, a board-certified family medicine physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica.
No matter where you’re starting from, you can improve your fitness and health. Begin with lower amounts of exercise and slowly increase duration, intensity, and frequency. Whether you prefer to measure activity level based on the number of steps you take, or the number of minutes of exercise you do is up to you — both are good metrics.
Measurement Factors
There are various measurement factors related to exercise that can indicate you’re on the right track to greater health and fitness.
Muscle Mass. Building muscle mass is essential for a long, high-quality life.
Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, functional medicine practitioner, board-certified family medicine physician, and founder of the Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine, said the more muscle mass we have, the better equipped we are to survive disease, including cancer (loss of muscle mass kills 1 in 5 cancer patients).
Sadly, muscle mass, strength, and performance start declining at around age 35. The National Institute on Aging calls this age-related loss of muscle mass “a big culprit for losing our physical abilities as we grow older,” and adding that mobility limitations make doing everyday tasks difficult and are linked to “higher rates of falls, chronic disease, nursing home admission, and mortality.”
Another benefit of muscle mass is that “muscles help us control our glucose levels, use glucose as fuel, and have a role in insulin resistance,” said Dr. Howard J. Luks, orthopedic sports medicine surgeon. Muscle also regulates metabolism — it’s the primary site for glucose disposal. Having healthy muscles can help individuals who are struggling with elevated blood sugar, elevated glucose, and elevated triglycerides.
The best way to help prevent muscle mass loss is by regularly engaging in resistance training and getting enough high-quality protein. However, excessive resistance training is not a good idea; above a certain amount, it might be detrimental to your health.
Handgrip Strength. Grip strength is a good benchmark for many aspects of health and fitness. Science points to a stronger grip as an important key to overall strength and longevity as well as heart health. Improve your grip strength by incorporating exercises such as wrist curls and dead hangs into your training regimen, three to five times per week.
Resting Heart Rate. Your resting heart rate (how many times your heart beats per minute while you're calm) is a key sign of overall health, fitness, and longevity, and a lower number indicates a higher level of cardiovascular fitness. Anywhere from 60 to 100 beats per minute is considered normal, said Dr. Edo Paz, a cardiologist at White Plains Hospital and senior vice president of medical affairs at the digital health company Hello Heart.
Keep in mind that your resting heart rate is also influenced by factors such as how well you slept, whether you’re stressed, and your hydration level, Dr. Paz said.
VO2 Max. Another key indicator of fitness is your VO2 Max — V for volume, O2 for oxygen, and Max for maximum. This reading indicates how much oxygen your body is using while it’s working out. VO2 Max ratings vary by age, gender, and health aspects. For a 30-year-old male, a VO2 max of 49-56 is considered good, while a good rate for a 30-year-old female is 45-52.
“VO2 Max shows how well your heart is pushing blood to your muscles and how efficiently your muscles can extract that oxygen from your circulating blood,” said sports medicine physician Matthew Kampert, DO, MS. “As you breathe in oxygen, it powers a metabolic reaction within your muscle cells that gives your muscles energy.”
Diet. Studies abound that link eating a healthy diet with improved longevity.
“Diet regulates the genes that regulate the aging process and those that regulate the removal of damaged components of cells and the regeneration of parts of various tissues and organs,” said Dr. Valter Longo, Edna M. Jones Chair in Gerontology and professor of gerontology and biological sciences at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.
Research has shown that the Mediterranean and DASH diets are tops at helping to slow aging, lower the risk of chronic conditions, and adding years to a person’s life. One study found that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower risk of mortality. These diets emphasize eating whole foods instead of highly processed foods.
Positive Thinking. Practice positivity for better health.
“Having a positive, optimistic outlook reduces our risk for developing chronic diseases, offers protection against the inflammatory damage of stress, and gives us a greater chance of living past 85,” said Dr. Karen D. Sullivan, study author and board-certified neuropsychologist in North Carolina. Inflammation caused by stress leads to rapid aging and more physical and cognitive difficulties.
“Thinking positive and engaging in positive behaviors such as meditation, yoga, participating in our own personal religious practices, getting out and walking, exercising, or enjoying the fresh air bring down our stress and our level of inflammation,” said Dr. Karen Miller, neuropsychologist and senior director of the Brain Wellness and Lifestyle Programs at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica.
Being Socially Active. Remaining socially active also has been associated with living a longer, healthier life.
One study found that women who had strong social relationships had a 10% longer life span and 41% better chance of living to age 85, while another showed that frequent participation in social activity prolonged life in adults.
“The stress of loneliness weakens our immune systems, making us more susceptible to infectious diseases and chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular disease and cancer,” said Dr. Karen D. Sullivan.
Weight/BMI. Some research suggests that people who have a high body mass index are likely to have shorter and less healthy life expectancies. However, researchers who analyzed BMI and muscle mass data from more than 3,600 seniors found that muscle mass is a more reliable indicator of life span than BMI. Healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9.
Although not all experts agree about the usefulness of the BMI measurement tool, most research concludes that people who are overweight are at increased risk for developing obesity-linked conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, even when they have no other health conditions. Know your numbers, so you can work toward reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, whatever that might be according to your doctor.
Takeaway
Even if you’ve been sedentary for years, it’s not too late to reap the benefits of exercise. Studies have found that people who are overweight or have been inactive for years have increased their longevity by adding physical activity to their routine on a regular basis.
Increasing fitness and overall health and avoiding age-related muscle loss could be as simple as walking for an hour every day and doing 30 minutes of strength training two to three times a week.
If you’re thinking of starting an exercise program, or upping your activity level, be sure to talk with your doctor for recommendations on the type and duration of activity that is best for your current health. Also, be sure to check out the SENS Solution Wellness Program and work with a team of health experts to create a personalized exercise and diet plan to help you lead a longer, healthier life.
Always remember: Your ability to make critical lifestyle changes is in your hands. Dr. Luigi Fontana, professor of medicine and nutrition, and director of the healthy longevity research program at The University of Sydney in Australia, said that “only 25% of our probability of living a longer life is due to our genes, while 75% is due to factors that are within our control.”
References
Harvard Health, The new exercise guidelines, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-new-exercise-guidelines-any-changes-for-you-2018121415623
AARP, Daily Exercise Linked to Living Longer, https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2019/exercise-longevity-wellness-benefits.html
Science Daily, One-minute bursts of activity during daily tasks could prolong your life, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221208114715.htm
JAMA Network Open, Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness with Long-term Mortality Among Adults Undergoing Exercise Treadmill Testing, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2707428
msn.com, Exercise Can Help You Live Longer! What The Science Says About How To Exercise For A Long Life, https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/exercise-can-help-you-live-longer-what-the-science-says-about-how-to-exercise-for-a-long-life/ar-AA1k2YdU?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=1cd7a93a9b2e4a1db952805b1c4d3230&ei=17
Longevity Doctor Podcase, The ideal exercise routine for a long, healthy life, https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=Longevity+Doctor+Podcast%2c+The+ideal+exercise+routine+for+a+long%2c+healthy+life&mid=7A852BBEBC1210145D6E7A852BBEBC1210145D6E&FORM=VIRE
CDC, MMWR, Strength Training Among Adults Aged >65 Years, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5302a1.htm
TIME, Should You Track Your Step Count or Workout Length?, https://time.com/6980222/track-step-count-or-workout-length/?utm_source=roundup&utm_campaign=20230202&itm_source=taboola.&itm_version:control
The Medical Advisor, Resistance Training and Muscle Mass—The Key to Longevity, https://www.onedaymd.com/2022/04/muscle-mass-key-to-longevity.html
Worth, Muscle Is the Cornerstone of Longevity, https://worth.com/muscle-is-the-cornerstone-of-longevity/
Baltimore longitudinal study of aging, https://blsa.nih.gov/
Science Direct, Thresholds of handgrip strength for all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortality, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568163722002203
Fitnescity.com, VO2 Max Chart for Men and Women: What's a Good VO2 Max by Age?, https://www.fitnescity.com/understanding-vo2-max
JAMA Network Open, Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Risk of All-Cause Mortality in Women, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2819335
Scientific American, Muscle Mass Beats BMI as Longevity Predictor, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323622
Medical News Today, Measuring BMI for adults, children, and teens, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323622
The American Journal of Medicine, Muscle Mass Index as a Predictor of Longevity in Older-Adults, http://www.amjmed.com/article/PIIS0002934314001387/abstract
Today.com, I'm a Longevity Doctor. Here Are My 7 Healthy Habits To Live Longer, https://www.today.com/health/diet-fitness/longevity-doctor-healthy-habits-live-longer-rcna75305