Exercise your way to feeling younger and healthier
“Regular exercise can reverse cellular ageing by ten years. This is a powerful message that doctors could use.”
Professor Tim Spector of King’s College London on a study on regular exercise and its effect on counteracting premature ageing.
Did you know that regular exercise can reduce biological ageing by ten years?
Regular exercise including running, tennis, and aerobics for at least three hours per week can reduce biological ageing by ten years as compared with no exercise at all. And it can be completely free if you want! British and American researchers, among others, have been able to demonstrate this in medical studies. The research conducted on physical activity and its secondary effects on health makes for pleasant reading. Just reading about how good exercise is for health really inspired me to get moving more, as part of a virtuous circle in which exercise also brings inner peace. Regular exercise reduces the risk of a number of different illnesses, from cardiovascular disease and depression to diabetes and cancer. What’s more, you also feel happier and more alert. It’s obvious that a reasonable level of exercise increases your chances of living a longer and healthier life.
What happens to the body when you exercise regularly?
As we age, a number of different functions in the body deteriorate. The beauty of exercise is that it can counteract and even repair some of these effects. One of the most important benefits of regular exercise is that it strengthens the vascular system. A healthy vascular system is one of the most important things for maintaining our health, just as a well-functioning house needs its pipework to be in good order. Our vascular system supplies every little cell in our body with nutrition and oxygen so that they can function optimally. If we want healthy cells and organs, we must therefore choose a lifestyle that benefits our vascular health. So why is exercise so good for our vascular system? Exercise strengthens the heart muscle, which is the engine of the blood supply system. This lowers blood pressure and has a positive effect on blood fats – two factors that reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. For a strong heart muscle, we must regularly exert ourselves so that our heart rate rises and our respiratory rate rises and we become short of breath. We mustn’t forget that the heart muscle needs exercise just like every other muscle if it’s to stay flexible and be able to pump blood to all the organs in the body. The ability of the lungs to absorb oxygen also increases, which results in an increased supply of oxygen in the body.
Reduces the risk of diabetes
Physical activity contributes to better vascular health in other ways by increasing the cells’ sensitivity to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that stores energy in the cells by introducing sugar from the blood into the cells. In simple terms, insulin is the key that opens the door for the sugar molecule to enter the cells, where they are either used or stored. In congenital diabetes, the insulin production of the pancreas is deficient. In type 2 diabetes (previously known as age-related diabetes) the cells also lose some of their ability to sense insulin. This means that more insulin has to be produced in order to have the same effect as before. If insulin’s key function of opening cell doors for glucose doesn’t work, then blood sugar levels rise, which in the longer term risks damaging the blood vessels and causing type 2 diabetes. By exercising regularly, you increase the cells’ sensitivity to insulin and thus reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Increases a key growth hormone
Regular exercise helps to increase the levels of a repairing growth hormone. This hormone has an effect on many different organs. Among other things, it helps to increase muscle mass and reduce fatty tissue, making it easier to maintain your weight. Bone density also increases, reducing the risk of osteoporosis. In the same way, the skin becomes thicker, which counteracts premature ageing. One of the exciting effects of regular aerobic exercise is that the brain forms new brain cells, including cells in the area called the “hippocampus”, which is involved in memory function. Previously this was thought impossible!
My advice:
Aim to get 45 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week. For those who haven’t been exercising at all, make your first goal a brisk 20-minute walk twice a week. When you’ve got used to this, you can set your next goal. Establishing healthy long-term habits takes time!
