Don’t wait to get in shape
BY LISA MULCAHY When you’re in your 20s and 30s, it can be shockingly easy to find reasons to put off exercise. (After all, “Game of Thrones” won’t binge-watch itself.) But staying glued to the couch in your younger years can lead to health problems in your later years — and that’s a pretty powerful reason to lace up the Nikes. Here’s a look at some of the latest research into the benefits of getting in shape now, and then sticking to it as you age:
It’s good for your brain
A recent study from the Boston University School of Medicine found that subjects in their 30s and 40s who engaged in regular cardiovascular exercise, and continued to work out as they aged, had more brain volume 20 years later than subjects who didn’t exercise; potentially, these sedentary subjects are risking cognitive decline and disease.
“Young and middle-aged adults may not be thinking about how their behavior choices affect their brain yet, but more research is exposing a link between healthy habits in early or midlife and brain health later in life,” says study author Nicole Spartano.
It keeps your memory sharp
Research from the American Academy of Neurology found that engaging in vigorous activities such as aerobics, calisthenics or running over light walking or yoga may slow brain aging by a good 10 years and preserves memory, allowing you to complete tasks quickly well into your golden years.
It staves off aches and pains
A Humboldt State/University
of Colorado study shows that seniors who run three times a week for 30 minutes produce more of the cell substance mitochondria, which allows for more efficient and pain-free body movement, such as walking, throughout the rest of their daily lives.
Active seniors in the study actually tested at the same walking ability and function level as people in their 20s.
It might help you live longer
Locked into three workouts a week? You might want to increase that to six 30-minute sessions per week.
A BMJ study says this simple change is associated with lowering disease risk in men by as much as 40%.
Your muscles will thank you later
Tokyo University researchers found that a regular exercise habit in your middle years is a powerful tool against sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss and function, which occurs mostly in those older than 65.