Anti-Aging Exercises for a Longer Healthier Life
Did you know that regular workouts can lengthen your lifespan? It’s true. According to a study of over 5,000 middle-aged and elderly Americans, people who exercised daily lived an average of 4 years longer. In addition, physical activity makes a difference for how long you live a healthy life, not just overall lifespan. Those who exercise regularly are much more healthy and mobile during the later years of their lives.
Best Anti-Aging Exercises for Middle Age
- Walking/Jogging – Walking is an enjoyable way to get daily physical activity. Be sure to wear comfortable and loose-fitting clothes, non-cotton socks (the kind runners wear) and invest in a good pair of walking shoes. It is best to start out at a slow, easy pace for a few minutes to warm up. Once your muscles are warm, stop and do some stretching. Stretch your legs as well as your arms and neck. Now that you are loose, you can pick up the walking pace to a comfortable level. For the first few weeks, set your goal for at least 15min a day. After that, slowly build up to walking an hour a day, most days of the week.
Fact: Walking 7 hours a week is associated with losing weight, gaining more energy, increasing lifespan and a decreased risk of heart disease, breast cancer and Type II diabetes.
- Swimming – Swimming is another healthy and enjoyable anti-aging exercise that can be continued for a lifetime. It is a great way to cool down after a walk or jog while extending your workout at the same time. Or if walking daily is hard on your joints, you may want to alternate your routine with swimming in order to take some of the impact stress off of your body. Kicking workouts, water aerobics and swimming laps can all give you good exercise without the weight of your body on your joints. These exercises build muscle strength, endurance and cardio-vascular fitness.
Fact: Regular swimming exercises your entire body and is great for your heart and lungs in addition to your muscles.
- Muscle Toning – Nicely toned arms and firm stomach are anti-aging exercises sure to take years off your appearance while improving your health at the same time. Lightly working out with dumbbells a few days each week will do wonders for your arms. 3 easy dumbbell routines include 1. bicep curls – with your palms facing forward, slowly bend your elbows bringing the dumbbells from your sides up to your shoulders, 2. upright rows – keeping your palms down and arms straight, slowly bring the dumbbells from your sides up to shoulder height directly in front of you, and 3. side shoulder raises – with your palms facing each other, slowly raise your arms outward with your elbows slightly bent. Adding some crunches into your muscle toning routine will do wonders for your stomach. Start out doing 3 sets of 20 crunches and gradually work towards being able to do 3 sets of 100 as your stomach muscles tone.
There are simply too many too many health benefits of being physically active to overlook it. Anti-aging exercises reduce the risk of being overweight and of developing many age-related illnesses. It improves your overall quality of life, and lowers your risk of mortality rate. Finally, new studies have proven that regular exercise is directly associated with longer lifespans.
