What your fitness level says about your lifespan
Ever wish you had a crystal ball that could show you the future of your health? While the magic side of things might not be possible, recent research has found that there is a reliable indicator that can shed light on how you’ll be feeling as you enter your twilight years. That indicator? Physical activity, namely how much of it you’re doing during midlife.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at almost 20,000 healthy men and women with a median age of 49 all of whom received a fitness rating between one and five (with one indicating very low levels of activity and five indicating very high levels). Twenty-six years later, the researchers followed up participants and found conclusively that the fitter they were in midlife, the lower their incidence of chronic conditions decades later.
While the findings themselves weren’t hugely surprising, researchers were amazed at the impact cardio-respiratory fitness can have on preventing a large variety of illnesses, even those you wouldn’t usually associate with fitness.
While maintaining a good level of fitness throughout your life is important, it’s never too late to make a change for the better. Improving your physical fitness is beneficial at any point in your life and there’s never been a better time to jump in. Here’s how!
- Make time for cardio – The general recommendation is that you integrate around 150 minutes of aerobic exercise into your week. That equates to around 20 to 30 minutes a day, five days per week. Walking, swimming, tennis, golf, Pilates and cycling are all great, low impact options.
- Build up – While it can be tempting to dive right in, starting slow and easing into a new program will help prevent injury and burn out from occurring. High intensity exercise after a period of inactivity won’t do your body any good and may scare you off for good. Start out steady and gradually increase over a period of weeks.
- Don’t forget to stretch – Yoga, Pilates and stretch classes are a fantastic way to integrate movement into your week while also keeping joints supple. Increasing your flexibility will also make other forms of exercise easier and lower your chances of injury.