The clock ticks for all of us, and with each tick, our bodies change. However, for most of those who are able to avoid the common medical problems effectively, the changes they experience are slow and gradual. Most signs of aging start as early as after 25 to 30 years when the maximum attainable heart rate starts declining by about one minute per beat each year that goes by. This explains why a 25-year-old heart can pump about two and a half quarts of blood, but a 70-year-old can’t pump more than one and a half quarts of blood per minute.
Most Americans add weight in their midlife years and put on 2 to 4 pounds a year. But because men start losing their muscle in their 40s, all the extra weight is just fat. The extra fat causes a rise in the LDL cholesterol, and the HDL cholesterol declines. This explains why blood sugar levels increase every decade and make type-2 diabetes common in most senior people. However, according to the CDC, you can reduce the risks of aging by having an active lifestyle.
How Exercises Can Make You Younger
Recent studies have proven that exercise is the fountain of youth. Exercises have a powerful impact on both your physical and mental health, and they can help slow the aging process. Below are some of the ways exercises can help keep you younger.
Increase energy efficiency
Can riding your bicycle make you younger? Although 81% of bicycle accident victims are male, most male adults who participate in highly aerobic activities like riding a bicycle or running have a lower metabolic cost than adults who live a more sedentary life. This means that as you age, having an active lifestyle helps you keep your fuel economy. In other words, exercises help you maintain a better quality of life because you’re able to move more easily.
Younger skin
Exercises increase blood flow, which helps distribute oxygen more and eliminate waste. This helps keep your skin cells and other vital organs healthy. In a recent study, the sedentary volunteers worked out for 30 to 40 minutes twice a week. After just 12 weeks, their skins, which previously showed signs of aging, now resembled the skin of people in their 30s. This is because exercising their bodies helped nourish their skin cells. When you sweat, your pores open up and release the waste that has built up. The sweat helps eliminate these toxins that would have otherwise remained clogged up.
Slows cell aging
Apart from just giving you a younger look, exercises actually make you younger by slowing down the aging process right from the chromosomes. Keep in mind that for you to remain younger, you need to keep your cells young. A recent research has revealed that exercises help keep DNA young and healthy.
It’s Never Too Late
Although aging is inevitable, you can slow it down and enjoy life as you age with grace and vigor. Therefore, if you want more energy in your 40’s, you need to regularly exercise your body and eat a balanced diet.