Exercise = Longer Life? Multiple studies over several years have shown that certain risk factors, such as an unhealthy LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio, high blood pressure, or a waistline over half your height, increase your risk for developing heart disease. What we didn’t know until recently was the part exercise played in increasing our longevity.
Exercise of pretty much any type: cardio, stretching, strength training, abdominal core training, and high intensity interval training (HIIT) routines to name a few, get unhealthy numbers back into the healthy range, lowering your risk factors. HIIT boosts human growth hormone (HGH) production. This in turn increases strength, energy, overall health AND longevity.
Exercise and Longevity
In a recent Australian study, information was collected on 8,600 men and women going back 15 years to see who in the group had died and the cause. Included in the data was the exercise level of the participant:
• Never or rarely exercised
• Regular brisk walking and/or occasional vigorous exercise
• Worked out daily, and often vigorously
They found that people in the first exercise group had twice the risk of dying as those in the second group, and a six times greater risk than those in the third group. Even participants who had less than ideal health numbers but exercised regularly, had a lower risk of dying than those with better health numbers, but who exercised less. Wake up people! This is proof that exercising has a huge effect on longevity.
Walking and Stroke
Another study published in the Stroke journal in November 2013 found that walking daily significantly decreased the risk of stroke in men over the age of 60.
(Yes, it’s a sexist study, but anyway…..) The research involved 3,500 men ages 60 to 80 who were divided into five groups depending on how long they walked each week:
1. 1-3 hours/week
2. 4-7 hours/week
3. 8-14 hours/week
4. 15-21 hours/week
5. More than 21 hours/week
The results – walking for at least an hour per day cut the risk of a stroke by one-third; a three-hour long walk each day reduced the risk by two-thirds. The pace of the walk was not a significant factor in reducing the risk.
Now please don’t send me emails complaining that you don’t have time to walk an hour a day. You don’t have to do it all at once. You don’t have to walk at any particular pace. You don’t have to go outside to do it, and you don’t have to wear any particular gear or clothing. (In fact, you don’t even have to wear any clothing at all if you’re in your own home.) Get up and walk, jog or march around instead of sitting on the couch during that 30 minute sitcom. Take a break, and then do it again. Or, do what I do. Get that 30 minute walk in first thing in the morning. Then look for every opportunity throughout the day to add to your step count. Isn’t it worth it if it’ll add years to your life? Of course it is. Make the time!
The other major contribution to longevity is diet. Exercise coupled with a healthy diet is a recipe for a longer fuller life. A brain and heart healthy diet should consist of good fats, lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
Living healthy and for a long time has always been about exercising and eating healthy foods. That isn’t going to change. The studies cited in this article just further solidify what we have known all along.
