How Exercise Slows Down The Ageing Process
Exercise does not just improve the quality of your life, it can actually extend it by a significant amount.
The key is to find a blend of activities that get you moving, build your strength, elevate your heart rate and leave you a little breathless at least three times a week.
Here are six proven age-busting benefits of exercise…
Longer Lasting Cells
New research has found that the telomeres in our body are longer in people that exercise, meaning the decline of cells within the body is slower in people that exercise regularly, warding off the many signs of ageing.
And if you’ve made it to your mid-forties or more without exercising regularly it’s not too late to start as the same study found that those aged 45 – 65 recorded greater improvements in this regard than those aged 20 – 45 who were sedentary before.
Greater muscles mass
Muscles begin to deplete in your 20s, so resistance training of any kind should begin then, although it’s never too late to start as 83-year-old bodybuilder Raymond Moon will testify.
Strong muscles elevate the metabolism, reducing fat production in the body and so inhibit weight-related illnesses such as cardiac disease. Good muscle tone also promotes great posture and balance and helps prevent injury, which often causes serious health complications later in life.
Greater Bone Density
Bones also degenerate with age and working with weights and resistance keeps them dense. This offsets older age conditions like osteoporosis and limits the likelihood of fractures if you do fall.
Less Fat
Exercise consumes calories and doing it means the body stores less of any excess as fat. People with lower levels of fat are less susceptible to all kinds of disease including heart disease. While those who carry more fat will put greater stress on their joints and organs, which can bring on a wide range of life limiting illnesses.
Lower Stress Levels
The chemical response of the body to exercise is healing for the heart and mind. Endorphins are released during exercise making the participant feel good, the sense of achievement following exercise amplifies the feel-good factor, and since most people socialise when they exercise they’re also building stress-relieving bonds.
Collectively these benefits all add up to a less stressed and anxious person, one able to cope with life’s many challenges.
A Stronger, Healthier Heart
Getting the heart pumping during exercise makes it stronger and more efficient. Persistently exercising means the oxygen and nutrients are pumped around the body by the heart more efficiently. Within a couple of months of regular exercise most people will find that the all-important resting heart rate lowers, and that blood pressure is more likely to be at a healthy level too.
Together these mean a longer life expectancy and healthier quality of life with many studies finding improvements in the body’s chemistry after exercise, including one which found a higher production of illness-fighting white blood cells after exercise.
Start Today For More Tomorrows
It’s simple really, move more to live longer. It doesn’t matter what you do, but the greater the variety or exercise the greater your staying power will and the more your body will benefit.
