Many people striving to maintain their youth often ask how they can live longer, healthier lives. Research consistently shows that incorporating regular exercise into your routine is one of the most effective ways to extend both your healthspan and lifespan.
Move Your Body More
There’s no easy fix or magic pill - staying healthy requires effort. Recent studies offer strong evidence that simple, manageable lifestyle changes can significantly extend our health and reduce the risk of early death. One of the most crucial factors? Maintaining an active lifestyle.
Healthy Lifestyle Choices
The American Heart Association emphasizes 8 key lifestyle habits to slow biological aging, extend lifespan, and reduce the risk of heart and age-related conditions. These include eating a healthy diet, staying active, avoiding nicotine, getting enough sleep, maintaining a healthy BMI, and managing cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure.
What Kind of Exercise?
A study in JAMA Internal Medicine analyzed data from over 500,000 participants over 10 years, finding that a balanced mix of exercise significantly reduces mortality risk. The ideal routine includes 150-225 minutes of moderate activity like walking, 75 minutes of vigorous exercise like running, and two or more strength training sessions weekly.
What is the Bare Minimum?
Research in the European Heart Journal suggests that just 2 minutes of vigorous exercise daily can significantly reduce the risk of death from cancer or cardiovascular events. Those who did less than 10 minutes of intense exercise weekly halved their 5-year mortality risk, while 60 minutes weekly further cut the risk.
Incorporating regular exercise is key to living longer and healthier. With personalized programs designed to optimize your fitness and well-being, you can take control of your health journey. Healthcode’s Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Dr. Andrew Buskard, offers expert guidance to help you on this path. For more details on his programs and services, contact concierge@healthcode.ca.