Imagine being offered the opportunity to significantly improve almost every aspect of your health, for free. However, this incredible possibility comes with one condition: you must consistently show up and put in the effort to reap its benefits. Would you accept such an offer?
This opportunity includes exercise and it’s available to everyone, regardless of background, but especially as we age. So let's start with the obvious: Exercising is non-negotiable. Every study on the planet recommends vigorous activity to stave off illness, injury, and diseases.
Until recently though, researchers have tallied the benefits of exercise in somewhat narrow slices—improved cholesterol, blood pressure, body weight, etc. But now it's becoming increasingly clear that vigorous movement and strength training also maximize our potential genetic lifespan. In other words, we don’t die prematurely.
Now these benefits are free, but again, the potent physiological effects won’t be realized without effort. Some studies have estimated that the risk of death is about 25 to 30% lower in physically active people, due to a decrease in all-cause mortality—death from any cause. Even more, it's what we call a dose-response relationship. More exercise simply corresponds to a longer life. So exercise seems to be a potent counterattack against the time-driven process of muscular, cardiovascular, and cognitive decline.
The Power of Exercise
Why is exercise so powerful against age-related decline? As we age, we suffer through a process called sarcopenia. Starting around age 30, we lose 3-5% of muscle mass per decade. It declines even faster after age 65 for women and 70 for men. By age 80, many people are in a significant health tailspin.
So keep in mind that strength training is the only effective way to maintain or increase muscle mass as we age, leading to decreased functional capacity and increased risk of falls and disability.
Beyond muscle benefits, there are positive impacts on the immune system, brain function, heart health, and cellular energy. In a CDC study of 8,000 Americans over six years, three primary lifestyle behaviors were found to have a significant influence on mortality.
No smoking
A healthy diet
Physical activity.
Falling short on compliance will limit outcomes though:
Adhering to one factor means a 40% lower risk of dying.
Adhering to two factors means you cut chances by more than 50%.
Adhering to all three factors results in 82% less chance of dying early.
Age Gracefully
Our physical activity levels generally reach their peak in our twenties, but then gradually decrease with age, especially after 60. But this decline can be slowed down significantly by remaining active, especially with longevity, with some experts stating that you could prolong life by an additional 14 years. Quality of life would also be off the charts, with increased energy and mobility and decreased pain levels and diseases.
Dr. Peter Attia, the author of Outlive, the Science and Art of Longevity, says that's why you should think of strength training as a form of retirement savings. You want to reach older age with enough of a reserve of muscle to protect you from injury and allow you to continue to pursue the activities you enjoy.
So there’s no question about us needing it, with only about 30 to 45 minutes daily required to benefit every aspect of life. The real payoff comes more at the tail end of life, where it pays the hard work forward as a preventative medicine in its own right. Now that's worth the effort, isn’t it?
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