Posts Tagged ‘exercise benefits’

It is a fact that lifestyle not genes predict aging.

British Heart Foundation Professor of Cardiology at the University of Leicester Professor Nilesh Samani, of the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, who co-led the project explained that there are two forms of ageing – chronological aging i.e. how old you are in years and biological ageing whereby the cells of some individuals are older (or younger) than suggested by their actual age.

He said: “There is accumulating evidence that the risk of age-associated diseases including heart disease and some types of cancers are more closely related to biological rather than chronological age.

Aging

All of us age at different rates, and yes some people seem to age better. That is usually attributed to good genes. While that is not entirely wrong, there are a few factors to consider. Genes are turned on and off by lifestyle factors. Entering the world with good genes is nothing to sneeze at. Everyone, would like to be blessed with good genes.

However, the expression of these genes can be turned on or off by the way one lives. Chronological aging and biological aging can be on two different clocks. Age associated-diseases conditions are more closely related to biological aging than chronological.

Telomere Length

Individuals are born with telomeres of a certain length and in numerous cells telomeres become shorter as the cell divide and age. Telomere length is a marker for biological ageing.

The results of a recent study in JAMA suggested a link between inactivity and aging. They found the telomere length of individuals exercising with moderate to high intensity workouts of 199 plus minutes per week had telomere length of individuals 10 years younger than their sedentary counterpart.

Biological age should be lower then one’s chronological age.

Use It or Lose It

Use it or lose it has relevance in this study. Since diet and exercise are ways to stay biologically young, than taking care is survival 101. Genes aren’t your destiny. Your outlook, diet, and exercise routines may be the most important components in increasing both the length and quality of your life.

Sedentary lifestyle’s risks are well known.  Yet, if you ask people what they are afraid of, it will usually consist of things that can harm them.  On that list, you will not hear many say, inactivity. The problem is because people think in immediate terms.  Physical inactivity presents one of the biggest dangers to both adults and children in the 21^st century.

Steven Blair a professor of exercise science and epidemiology at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, called Americans’ physical inactivity “the biggest public health problem of the 21^st century.”  Steven Blair is an authority on exercise and its benefits, and was the senior scientific editor for the report that came out in the 1990’s on the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health.

Physical activity does not mean gym workouts; we are talking about house and yard work.  We are talking health hazards, fitness levels are a predictor of health status.  Longevity is associated with physical activity, not necessarily gym memberships.  Walking alone makes a difference, gardening, golfing, swimming, as well as moving around in ways that use some muscles.  There is evidence that people including children are not even moderately fit.

There is research that shows people who are fit have far fewer health problems as they age.  Also, they get the privilege of reaching their senior years, while enjoying a higher quality of life.  The benefits of exercise reduces cognitive decline, it improves mobility, and  lifts depression.  Throught technology has benefited our lives, it has also stolen our lives.  It has held us captive to both the desk, and couch.  Industrialized societies cut the workout out of work.  The solution is so simple, that it seems to elude us.  Use it or loss it never was never truer, yet we think it applies to everything but physical activity.  American businesses are beginning to recognize the health benefits of exercise.  It has an impact on the health of their employees, with better job attendance, and a higher level of performance.

The all or nothing philosophy does not apply to physical activity.  Week- end warriors, gym rats, and muscle building zealots have made exercise a  complex time consuming activity.  In plain terms it is moving around and doing activities that require using different muscles and oxygenating our cells.  That is what generations before did without thinking about it.  The hard working generations had people reach old age without needing hip replacements, bypass operations, and numerous other infirmities treated.

The previous generations were strong, and many reached near the century mark in relative good health.  What the medical community has done is save people from infections and congenial conditions.  This means statistically we look like we have a longer and healthier life.  In reality they extent the lifespan by cut and paste, and that does not give us good health.

Sedentary lifestyle’s risks are too numerous to list.  It affects everything from the ability to get around, cholesterol levels, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cognitive function.  Movement energizes the life-force that goes through all your systems, and brings you a vibrant life.