How Exercising Can Lengthen Your Life

Regular exercise won’t just shrink your waistline; it can literally lengthen your life. Apart from lowering the risks of chronic diseases, daily workout will also help you live a longer, healthier life! How? In today’s post, we are listing down proven ways exercising can lengthen a person’s life span:

Keeps the Heart Young

Exercising helps keep the heart young and healthy. Working out can reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering the blood pressure and keeping the weight down. In a screening that involved collecting data from 8,600 Australian men and women 15 years prior to the study, researchers found that exercising may override the risk factor for heart disease. These risk factors include unhealthy weight, high blood pressure, and a weak heart.

New York Times also reported that exercising can improve the quality of life and reduce the risk for cardiac diseases.

Cuts Heart Disease Death by 50%

To explore the benefits of exercising, a study divided volunteers into three groups: the first group rarely exercises, the second group does occasional vigorous exercise and the third group gets daily, vigorous exercise.

After weeks of careful monitoring, researchers found that the group that got the lowest exercise had twice the risk of dying from heart disease. Even the group that gets occasional exercise lowered their risk of dying from cardiac diseases compared to those who do not get any exercise at all. However, the health benefits of occasional exercise were fainter compared to those who get vigorous work out on the daily.

Reduces the Risk of Stroke in Senior Men

A stroke is a cardiovascular disease caused by disrupted blood flow to the brain. There are two types of stroke: hemorrhagic stroke and ischemic stroke.

A hemorrhagic stroke is caused by a ruptured artery in the brain. On the other hand, ischemic stroke is caused by blockages in the vein that reduce blood flow. 75% of strokes are the ischemic type.

A study published in The Journal found that daily walking reduces the risk of stroke in elderly men. Walking at least 30 minutes every day can potentially reduce lethal cardiac ailments in men over the age of 60. The study gathered men between the age of 60 and 80 and divided into five groups, according to the length of time they dedicated brisk walking. According to the findings elderly men who walked for at least an hour or two, everyday cut their risk of stroke by as much as one-third. And the pace does not matter at all.

Reduces Heart Disease Compared to Sedentary Individuals

A sedentary lifestyle can kill you. According to an Australian study, sedentary people are 6 times more likely to die of a heart ailment as opposed to those who get daily exercise. The more intensive the exercise is, the better the chances of lowering the risk of heart disease.

Factors to Consider

Although exercising can cut your risk of heart disease, it’s important to mind the pace and intensity of the workout especially for the elderly. If you are over the age of 60, it’s best to consult your doctor first before you start working out. More so if you are recovering from a certain condition. The same thing goes for younger individuals who want to exercise. Do not push your body too hard.