It is commonly held that exercise can do a lot to help us stay fit and healthy; avoid unwanted illness and other problems affecting our active life. Some of us mistake exercise as just a means to lose a few pounds and get a shapely body while some others choose it to build muscles. The fact is that the benefits that exercise offers are far beyond just slimming down or adding muscle tone. It has a magical touch in slowing down the effects of aging, keeping you young and elegant compared to others who remain inactive.
A new study on the effects of exercise on aging says active older people resemble younger people physiologically. The findings propose an idea that how we age is up to us to a large extent, and the concept of physical decline with advancing years is somehow proving to be incorrect.
Let us quickly glance through some statistical and factual highlights of the study. 85 men and 41 women aged between 55 and 79 who bicycle regularly were part of the study. Men had to be able to ride at least 62 miles in six and a half hours and women should be riding 37 miles in five and a half hours. An array of physical and cognitive tests were set to determine endurance capacity, muscular mass and strength, pedaling power, metabolic health, balance, memory function, bone density and reflexes. There were also interesting tests of standing up from a chair without using the arms, briskly walking to about 10 feet, turning and walking back and sitting down again.
The resultant scores were compared with those of other cyclists in the groups and other standard benchmarks to draw a conclusion.
- Almost all measures were so much closer to that of young adults; even the oldest cyclists had younger people’s levels of balance, reflexes, metabolic health and memory capacity.
- The numbers suggested that aging is simply different when you are active.
Interestingly, the author of the study said, “If you gave this dataset to a clinician and asked him to predict the age, it would be impossible” as all look young on paper.
There was also another study quoting the importance of including running as part of your exercise, which helps you stay young. An older study had enough details to showcase the molecular proof of how exercise helps you stay young.
Yes, exercise must be an integral part of your life which will help you to sail smoothly, live happily and longer. Even those who prefer a shortcut to achieve their youthful looks through cosmetic procedures need to incorporate exercise in their daily routine to be healthy enough and reach the stable weight before the treatment. Also, plastic surgeons point out that leading a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and proper diet is important if you are to maintain the treatment results for long.
