Numerous scientific studies prove the beneficial effect of any kind of physical activity on life expectancy. Ekaterina Strelnikova, nutritionist and healthy lifestyle expert, tells how it works and what kind of sport to choose.
The sooner you start exercising regularly, the younger you will look and feel better as you age. And you don’t have to be a fitness freak. You will slow down the aging process, even if you make it a rule to take daily walks in the fresh air.
Why does it work
Scientific research conducted in 2012 in Boston discovered the hormone irisin. It is produced in us during active muscle contractions, that is, when playing sports. The same hormone is responsible for active fat burning and the length of telomeres of chromosomes. And just the length of telomeres determines the biological age of a person.
For example, the cardiovascular system of professional athletes who constantly train is about two times younger than that of their peers who are not familiar with sports.
Just six months of aerobic endurance training (running, cycling, rowing) helps to restore the respiratory system almost completely, even in people over 50 years old. A study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism suggests that the rate of muscle aging can be slowed down with cardio and strength training.
Which sport to choose
Let’s say you’ve never exercised, bypassed the gym side, and now decided: “That’s it! It’s time!” Where to start?
Aerobic exercise. The most effective against aging is aerobic exercise with a long, but not stressful load. These exercises can take place both on land and in water. All types of water aerobics or gymnastics on land work wonderfully. The cardio area in fitness clubs was also created for this.
Swimming. It is good for older people to start training in the pool. First of all, the aquatic environment allows you to unload the musculoskeletal system as much as possible – the impact load disappears (for example, as when running or jumping on land), axial load (as when squatting with a barbell).
The aerobic effect strengthens the cardiovascular system, the hydromassage effect of water is useful for the walls of blood vessels. This is true for varicose veins and hypotension or hypertension.
Yoga. Any direction of ancient practice will strengthen the deep stabilizing muscles (the muscular corset of the spine and the muscles that support the joints), teach proper breathing (full oxygen delivery to all organs and tissues, and therefore, improve their work).
Dancing. They improve coordination of movements and maintain communication between the hemispheres of the brain, which can be broken with age.
In the gym Do not bypass the functional training area, which guarantees high-quality strengthening of the muscular corset without the use of free weights. But for beginners or people of mature age, it is wiser to exercise under the supervision of a competent coach.
And of course, training in the gym should be of a general strengthening or rehabilitation nature. Powerlifting or weightlifting is unlikely to be relevant.
In fitness, it is important to combine business with pleasure. Only under this condition will classes be regular.
In short, choose workouts that will be fun. In fitness, it is important to combine business with pleasure. Only under this condition will classes be regular.
The load should be moderate, even in cardio training, even in strength. It is selected individually, taking into account the basic level of physical fitness and health status. Therefore, before starting training in fitness clubs, you need to visit a specialist consultation. The optimal frequency of classes at the beginning of the journey is 2-3 times a week for a beginner. The body must gradually adapt to the training process and fully recover.
About expert
Ekaterina Strelnikova – nutritionist, expert in healthy lifestyle and fitness testing of the federal network of X-Fit fitness clubs.