You already know that daily exercise can help you stay healthy, boost mood, enhance mental health and aid in sleep. However, did you know that studies reveal a new potential to reversing the signs of ageing? According to research, older adults have fewer mitochondria in their cells when compared to children. That may give us a clue as to why children have a higher stamina and endless energy while older individuals struggle with regular movements and daily activities.
Here are 5 exercise habits that help you age well.
- High-Intensity Interval Training: According to a new study in Cell Metabolism, researchers found that HIIT could boost the cells' ability to generate proteins within mitochondria and ribosomes - which are essential to reversing the signs of ageing. HIIT is a form of training that requires high-intensity intervals following by low output training. For older adults, this means you can alternate between high-intensity sprinting and bursts of light walking in between.
- Cardio: According to the U.S. guidelines, the weekly recommended amount of cardio exercise is 150 minutes per week. However, many should aim for 240 minutes per week to improve their cardiovascular health.
- Practice Daily Yoga: Yoga is a great start to leading a healthy lifestyle as you age. You can improve joint and muscular flexibility and gain muscular strength through yoga. These benefits will help in preventing back pains, headaches, and improving joint stability. Yoga exercises will also strengthen the bones and prevent the onset of arthritis and osteoporosis in the future.
- Resistance Training: While you cannot change your genetic makeup, you do have the power to alter how certain genes are expressed. Through strength training, you can reserve the signs of ageing at the genetic level. In fact, you can train your tissues to behave the same, if not better than when you were younger. Resistance training allows you to preserve muscle mass, which is one of the most common effects of ageing.
- Hydration: On top of these physical fitness habits, it is also important to keep the body hydrated. As we age, the elasticity of our skin will begin to diminish and require for more hydration.
Furthermore, there is no such thing as being "too old" to exercise. Physical fitness is a necessary component to overall well-being and living a healthy lifestyle at any age. Even if you haven't followed a regular fitness routine, it is never too late to get started. Exercise will help prevent many of health conditions, as you get older, including high blood pressure, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, obesity, and diabetes.
