To prolong your life, you can’t live without this good habit

We often say “life lies in movement”. Is there really a connection between life and movement ?

Most young people exercise to shape their body curves, while middle-aged and elderly people seem to be more "far-sighted" in their exercise, in order to live longer.

The Journal of Aging and Physical Activity in the United States once published a study by the University of California, San Diego. The researchers have been tracking 5,446 women over the age of 63 for more than a decade since 2012, and found that regardless of whether they have longevity genes, more frequent low-intensity physical activity and moderate-intensity physical activity are associated with a lower risk of death, while long periods of sitting are associated with a higher risk of death . The conclusion of the study is that exercise can help prolong life to a certain extent .

In addition to the support of research results, is there a certain scientific basis for extending life through exercise? What kind of exercise has the best effect on extending life? How can the elderly grasp the intensity, amount and regularity of exercise?

The scientific evidence that exercise can prolong life

There are many studies on the longevity of life through exercise, and the results generally support the conclusion that exercise has a positive impact on life expectancy. We can simply understand that exercise can make the body healthy, and a healthy body will naturally prolong life.

First, exercise can improve cardiopulmonary function , and the decline of cardiopulmonary function often increases all-cause mortality. Those elderly people who live long often have stronger cardiopulmonary function. Secondly, exercise can directly exercise our muscles. Muscles are exercised in the process of completing various movements. People who regularly engage in physical activities will have obvious changes in the structure and function of their muscles, thereby supporting the various organ systems of the human body to calmly complete the "tasks" they undertake. Everyone knows the principle of use it or lose it. If a person does not move, the muscles will undergo "disuse atrophy." Because of this, we often remind middle-aged and elderly people that "saving money is not as good as saving muscles."

Secondly, exercise can have a positive effect on the nervous system . Many people agree that "naughty and active children are smarter", which is indeed true. This is true for children and for middle-aged and elderly people. Physical exercise can improve the functions of the respiratory system and blood circulation system, increase oxygen absorption and blood transportation capacity, and enable nerve cells to obtain more sufficient energy and oxygen supply, which is conducive to the normal and efficient work of the nervous system, especially the brain.

In addition, exercise can promote the body's metabolism . ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is the direct energy source for the human body during exercise. However, the ATP stored in the human body can only support the needs of about 10 seconds of exercise. If you continue to exercise, the body needs to break down sugar and fat to replenish ATP. This decomposition process can not only consume fat, but also increase the activity of various metabolic enzymes in the body. As the saying goes, "running water does not rot, and door hinges do not rot." People who exercise regularly have more powerful body functions and look younger.

The positive impact of exercise on life expectancy is not only theoretically supported, but also scientifically based. Exercise brings more benefits to the body than these. Therefore, it is recommended that middle-aged and elderly people make exercise a part of their lives .

Why do some athletes die young?

Some people still have doubts about whether exercise can prolong life. For example, there have been news reports of sports enthusiasts dying young, and there have also been reports of centenarians who never seem to exercise.

The length of life is determined by a combination of factors , including genes, exercise, psychology, medical conditions and diet. To prolong life, we cannot rely on exercise alone, other healthy lifestyles also play a key role. While actively exercising, we should also quit smoking and drinking, pay attention to a balanced diet, eat less high-fat and high-salt foods, have a regular work and rest schedule and not stay up late, ensure at least 7 hours of adequate sleep every day, and maintain a healthy and sunny attitude.

We should enjoy the process of exercise rather than simply pursue the effect of exercise. Don't have too much "utilitarianism" and make exercise a lifestyle.

Mastering the right degree can prolong your life

Since exercise can prolong life, does that mean we can exercise all the time? Of course not. Everything should be done in moderation. Too much is as bad as too little.

How to exercise scientifically is more important than the exercise method itself. Exercise has "personality", and the exercise items and amount of exercise should be arranged according to personal circumstances. But no matter what kind of exercise you do, the exercise items should not be too single . You should effectively combine aerobic exercise, strength training, stretching exercises and other exercise methods to achieve the greatest health benefits. Elderly friends can try the traditional Wuqinxi and Baduanjin .

According to the National Fitness Guide, in addition to aerobic and strength exercises such as Tai Chi, soft ball, half squat, and supine curl, the elderly should also increase balance exercises to prevent falls, such as moving the body forward and backward, standing in one line, and balance movement, while paying attention to stretching.

Generally speaking, we use the maximum heart rate to evaluate the intensity of exercise. Maximum heart rate (beats/min) = 220-age (years) . A 70-year-old man has a maximum heart rate of 150. When maintaining moderate exercise intensity, the heart rate should be controlled at 60% to 85% of the maximum heart rate, that is, 90 to 128 beats/min. Exercisers can control the intensity of exercise through subjective exercise sensations. Generally, when doing moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, the subjective feeling of exercise is relaxed or slightly tired. In terms of time, it is recommended that everyone exercise for 30 to 60 minutes every day.

For the elderly, exercise safety is the first principle. Some middle-aged and elderly people have more diseases and their body's ability to withstand exercise load is poor, so they are not suitable for excessive exercise. It is best for these elderly people to do exercise assessment and listen to the doctor's advice when exercising.