Exercise Reverses These Top 7 Aging Symptoms
The best anti-aging medicine? Exercise. Regular exercise can not only help you feel fit, exercise can fight aging at the cellular level and mitigate or reverse its negative effects. Feeling as if it may be too late for you? There is great news: research shows that even if you start exercising later in life, it still has a powerful impact upon health and longevity.
A 2013 Harvard study found that exercise can be at least as effective as prescription drugs when it comes to the prevention of conditions such as heart disease, stroke or diabetes. Even a lack of muscle is now seen, not as a side-effect of frailty or disease..but as a cause.
Exercise can help prevent the shortening of our telomeres. Exercise reduces the shortening, it lengthens and creates healthy telomeres. Telomeres are essentially protective caps that are like bookends on the ends of our chromosomes which help protect our DNA. When our cells divide, and with each division, our telomeres naturally and gradually shorten. This gradual shortening leads to the aging of the cell. But the process can be accelerated by obesity, smoking, insomnia, diabetes, poor diet and other aspects of health and lifestyle. When the telomere becomes too short and frayed, the cell dies (think faster aging).
Research has shown that exercise has anti-inflammatory benefits. It has been found that, in general, people who exercise have lower levels of inflammation, which is one way to help your body stay young – as low-level inflammation hastens aging. Low-level inflammation is the core cause of most illness, disease, faster-aging and weight gain.
Do something every day to challenge your body. Ensure you add activity to your daily life. If you are sedentary, start out with small goals such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Research shows that even moderate exercise has powerful effects. To reap the benefits, you must be consistent which means scheduling your exercise and honoring that time and day as you would a doctor appointment.
1. Increased susceptibility to disease: Improves immune system function
2. Loss of muscle and increased body fat: Aids in loss of fat and builds muscle
3. Increased risk of a cardiac event (heart attack, stroke): Lowers blood pressure, improves circulation, lowers cholesterol
4. Slowing of mental function and alertness: Improves reaction times, mental clarity and increases brain volume.
5. Insomnia: Improves quality of sleep
6. Depression: Relieves stress, improves self-esteem and outlook
7. Immobility and susceptibility to falls: Improves balance and coordination
Many of the changes that people attribute to aging are actually caused by disuse. Using your body will keep it young. All forms of exercise boosts mood and improves sleep, countering anxiety and depression. In addition, exercise improves reflex time and helps stave off age-related memory loss.
©2016 DLS HealthWorks, LLC. Lori Shemek, PhD health expert and weight loss expert. Author of How To Fight FATflammation! and the best-selling author of ‘Fire-Up Your Fat Burn!’