Love To Exercise? Here’s How It May Help You Live For Longer

Exercise may help you to live for longer and is one of the best things you can do for your health, according to a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. This study included 792 men who were followed for 45 years. While this comes as no surprise to the health-conscious, the research confirms that daily exercise may help to boost your longevity. [1]

Each of the men in the study underwent a clinical exam including a medical history evaluation, a physical exam and an exercise test when they were 54 years old. During this exercise test, the men pushed themselves to the limit. Researchers measured the men’s heart rates and peak oxygen uptakes to determine their level of physical fitness (as higher peak oxygen uptakes indicate greater physical fitness). [1]

After the clinical exam, the men were then followed via medical examinations approximately every ten years until they either passed away or turned 99. Researchers analysed the data for correlations between health markers – including smoking habits, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and physical fitness – along with their likelihood of dying during the study.

What The Study Found 

Men who had the highest and intermediate peak oxygen uptake at their initial exam had a respective 42% and 21% reduced risk of death, compared with those with the lowest peak oxygen uptakes. The negative effect of poor fitness was also evident when other cardiovascular risk factors were taken into account.

Poor physical fitness was also seen as a risk of death that’s higher in men who had the lowest peak oxygen uptakes, when compared to men with high cholesterol and high blood pressure. All of this means that poor physical fitness was a better predictor of dying than any well-known cardiovascular risk factors. 

Meanwhile, only men who smoked had a higher risk of death than men with the lowest peak oxygen uptakes.

Health Benefits of Exercise

There are many health benefits of regular exercise. Previous studies have also found that exercise may help to lead to a longer life. There are various other factors that can affect your lifespan too such as smoking and high cholesterol levels. Research has also associated exercise with other health benefits including a reduced risk of age-related cognitive decline.

Some of the best forms of exercise are the activities that you can enjoy doing daily. These include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, yoga or even tai chi.

When you commit to exercising daily it can provide the following benefits:

Boosts Your Energy Levels

Regular workouts can make a big difference to your energy levels. Studies show that exercise boosts oxygen circulation and this increased oxygen can support the body’s mitochondria energy production. Physical activity can help you to reduce any feelings of fatigue and low energy that you may be experiencing. [2]

Prevents or Manages Health Problems 

Along with strengthening your heart and improving your circulation, and boosting oxygen levels in the body – research suggests that this can help to lower your risk of heart disease. In particular, it may help to improve a range of chronic health conditions.

Different types of exercise can have various benefits. For example, low-impact aerobic activities such as swimming and walking may help to relieve lower back pain. Meanwhile, strength training, endurance and flexibility activities may help to slow disease-related decline in muscle strength, while providing stability for joints.

Supports Weight Loss 

Many studies have found that HIIT and cardio exercise can help to reduce body fat and waist circuference, especially in people who are overweight or obese. [3] Regular physical activity can help to increase the number of calories your body uses for energy or “burns off”. Exercise can help you to maintain weight loss by increasing your metabolism, or how many calories you burn in a day.

Improves Moods

Exercise can increase your level of endorphins, helping to boost your mood. Even doing just 30 minutes of exercise daily for three to five days a week can significantly improve symptoms of anxiety or depression. Regular exercise is one of the best ways to boost your mood and to feel good. Research shows that running for 15 minutes a day to an hour for example, can reduce the risk of major depression. [4] If you can’t run, then getting into the habit of going for a daily walk is recommended.

Promotes Better Sleep

Anyone struggling with insomnia or being able to sleep at night, should consider taking regular exercise. Aerobic exercise in the morning or the afternoon for example, stimulates earlier melatonin release and shifts the circadian rhythm forward. [5]

For people who exercise outdoors, morning exercise may help to expose you to sunlight. This helps to entrain your circadian rhythms, making it easier to fall asleep early.

Moderate to vigorous exercise can increase sleep quality for adults and research shows that aerobic exercises such as running or resistance exercise like weight-lifting can help you to fall asleep faster at night. If you prefer a gentler form of exercise, then yoga is also recommended. One study on yoga and sleep found that participants who performed a 45 minute yoga workout including breathwork and meditation showed significant improvement in their sleep quality, duration and in the time it took to fall asleep. [6]

Nutrients To Support Your Exercise and Wellness Regime

Need to know the best nutrients to support your exercise and wellness regime? Here are our top choices…

Magnesium

As an essential mineral, Magnesium plays an important role in helping your muscles to relax after a workout. It also counteracts the role that calcium plays in contracting the muscles. Magnesium helps to maintain normal nerve and muscle function, along with heart rhythm, blood pressure, blood glucose levels and calcium absorption.

Applying topical Magnesium onto your muscles daily such as with a lotion or bathing in Magnesium flakes can replenish cellular magnesium levels. This can help to ease sore muscles and relax the nervous system.

D-Ribose

Studies show that taking a D-Ribose supplement can reduce muscle soreness and enhance muscle damage recovery. [7] D-Ribose can aid the body’s ATP energy production and is essential for cell health, preventing muscle fatigue and providing extra energy to the heart and body during exercise.

Curcumin

Research shows that Curcumin has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities that can reduce inflammation and enhance the post-workout recovery process. One study also found that when Curcumin was taken, muscle soreness and damage was reduced following an intense exercise session. This meant faster recovery from a difficult workout and therefore led to a more consistent exercise and training regime, at higher intensity levels for an increased performance. [8]

Collagen

As the main structural protein of the body’s skin and connective tissues, Collagen has been shown in studies to help burn fat, build muscle mass and support healthy skin and joints. Collagen production naturally reduces as we age, due to the environment and genetic factors.

Physical exercise can have a wear and tear effect on bones and joints, so it’s important to ensure we’re getting enough collagen for best bone health. Studies show that taking collagen peptides may help to improve bone strength and structure, even helping to prevent bone deterioration as we age. [9]

Anyone who exercises regularly should consider taking the above nutrients for best longevity and good health.

References:

[1] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2047487316655466

[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16937952/

[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28401638/

[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC474733/

[5] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30784068/

[6] https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/annual_data/annual_2013.html

[7] https://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Article/2020/08/17/Study-finds-D-ribose-cuts-muscle-soreness-in-untrained-young-men

[8] https://ww.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19390211.2020.1796885

[9] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25314004/

Recommended Examples