Sure, exercise works wonders for your muscles, energy levels, heart and your mental health, but it’s also a vital ingredient for living a healthy life. After all, you probably need not ask your doctor to know that going to a gym over sitting on the couch is a healthier choice.
But there are some specific changes you can add into your exercise routine to help increase your life longevity. Here they are
1 — Add Squats to Your Routine
Everyone understands that squats help your legs and butt, but squatting also improves posture, helps to fight dementia, and increases your bone strength.
While all of that does help you achieve a longer life, consider this study released in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
Researchers discovered that older people (ages 51-80) who could pick themselves up from a squat position without using their hands were much less likely to die over the upcoming six years when compared to their close-in-age peers who could not pick themselves up.
2 — Keep Up The Intensity
There is nothing wrong with going easy during an exercise routine. But be sure to increase the intensity when you can. Research revealed in JAMA Internal Medicine finds that doing 150 minutes of vigorous exercise per week to your workout regimen can extend your lifespan.
They watched 400,000 people for six years and those who had a higher amount of vigorous activity were at a much lower risk of early death.
“In the right amounts, vigorous activity is a wonderful thing. It challenges your cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems more than moderate activity,” Carol Mack, D.P.T., C.S.C.S. said.
3 — Walk Faster
A lot of research has shown that fast-paced walkers usually live longer than the people who habitually walk slowly. A study of 450,000 people found that fast walkers had better chances of living longer than slow workers—with no connection to their body-mass index (BMI). Researchers said their “brisk walking pace” was at least 3 mph (or 100 steps each minute).
On average, slower female walkers reached 72 years-old, while faster female walkers got to 87. Men who walked fast reached 86 years-old, while slower male walkers only reached 65 years.
Author: Steven Sinclaire