THE SECRET STARTS WITH THE HEART
PUT YOUR PALM UP to the left side of your chest. Can you feel that strong beat? That’s the single biggest age- defying benefit your run is giving you. Heart disease is among the leading causes of death in theuk. Aswe age, our arteries stiffen; they can’t widen as well to accommodate an increase in blood flow, and this is particularly true in the aorta, the artery which transports blood away fromthe heart, and in the carotid arteries, which run from chest to head. When these insidious changes happen, major cardiac events aren’t far behind.
A compromised cardiovascular system will do more than increase your heart attack risk, too. ‘ We now know that cognitive decline with ageing and disease are significantly due to decline in artery function and health,’ says Dr Douglas Seals, a professor of integrative physiology who studies vascular aging at the University of Colorado, US. ‘ Your tendency to become more prone to diabetes with ageing is affected and highly correlated with vascular health and function. Even kidney disease is closely linked to the health of your arteries.’
Run regularly, and you may safeguard yourself from all of this, according to Seals. Running not only maintains artery dilation and elasticity, it actually restores youth and vigour to the vessels. Take your first step, and all your muscles – quads, calves, glutes, even your lats, shoulders, and biceps – demand more oxygen. To feed them, you suck in air, your heart beats faster and it pumps that oxygenated blood through the arteries and to every muscle fibre. This process is more than just a delivery mechanism; it is silently keeping the arteries strong and healthy. It means that no matter who you are – a fortysomething joining a running club or a retiree chasing your grandchildren around the garden – you’re transforming your heart into a younger version of itself. What’s more, scientific research shows that when your arteries are healthy, everything outside the cardiovascular system is usually in good shape, too.
That’s why Seals, who also co- directs the University of Colorado’s Healthy Aging Project, counts exercise such as running as the X factor for staying young. ‘It is the singlemost important thing– more important than healthy diet, more important than reducing stress.’