Prevention is definitely better than cure when it comes to anti-ageing. To do this effectively, we need to address our health both internally and externally.
Numerically, we’re all ageing at the same rate which we can’t stop. Yet some people appear to defy the digits on their birth certificate. Why do some 50-year-olds look like 30-year-olds? It’s not all down to surgery, expensive potions, or faddy trends. Research is increasingly pointing towards lifestyle factors which can play a pivotal role in dictating the rate we age at namely exercise, nutrition and general self-care. Today I just want to focus on exercise.
It’s no secret that regular exercise delivers an array of benefits, from increasing strength to deterring disease and illness. But it also has another major benefit that’s often overlooked: a regular fitness regime can take years off your age biologically.
Here are six ways in which exercise has been proven to make you look and feel younger:
EXERCISE MAKES YOUR CELLS AGE SLOWER
Scientists have long known that telomeres affect the ageing process. These caps, found at the end of chromosomes, get shorter as we get older. New research has indicated that regular exercise can help to lengthen our telomeres, effectively slowing the ageing process.
EXERCISE IMPROVES YOUR SKIN
That glow you get after completing a workout? Turns out it has lasting benefits. Research has found that regular exercisers over the age of 40 are more likely to have the supple skin of people ten or even 20 years younger. Exercise also boosts collagen and helps reduce stress that can have a huge impact on our skin health. More on this in part 3 when we touch on stress.
EXERCISE BOOSTS YOUR METABOLISM
Alas, the female metabolism slows around the age of 35 onwards, making it easier for weight to accumulate. Try my 1-2-1 PERSONAL TRAINING or my SMALL GROUP PT SESSIONS to fight the flab and boost your metabolism.
EXERCISE IMPROVES YOUR CIRCULATION
Sweat your butt off and move your body at least three to five times per week. It gets your circulation going and helps rid your body of accumulated toxins which in turn clears the skin.
EXERCISE IMPROVES YOUR MEMORY
Do you ever get those senior moments when you forgot something?!!! It’s long been known that people who remain mentally alert are less susceptible to the effects of ageing. Well, it turns out that the key to keeping a healthy mind is keeping a healthy body. Regular aerobic exercise has been shown to increase the size of the hippocampus (part of our brain) boosting our memory, focus and cognitive skills.
EXERCISE DETERS BAD HABITS THAT SPEED UP AGEING
Fast food, cigarettes and excess alcohol all wreak havoc on the body. If you’re following a regular exercise regime, you’ll be far less tempted to indulge in these pitfalls that can ruin your health and speed up the ageing process.
We can’t choose our chronological age but we can do something about our biological age. It’s yours for the taking if you decide and take consistent action. The many benefits of exercise are simply too great to ignore.
That’s it for today. I’ll be back next week in your inbox with part 2 of my anti ageing series on how to eat yourself young. The final instalment will be on how to self-care yourself young.
Have a super week my friend.
Gaynor x
