Regular physical activity has many known health benefits, one of which is that it can help you live longer. What remains to be determined, however, is the type and duration of exercise that provides the most protection.
A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that doing either cardio or strength training lowered the risk of dying during the study period, but doing both regularly You can get 1-3 hours of aerobic exercise per week. One to two strength training sessions per week were associated with an even lower risk of death.
Carver Coleman, a data scientist and one of the study’s authors, said switching from a sedentary lifestyle to a workout schedule is comparable to “smoking vs. not smoking.”
The paper is the latest evidence of a trend showing the importance of strength training in longevity and overall health. “It’s definitely something I talk to my patients all the time,” said Dr. Kenneth Consilya, a gerontologist at the Cleveland Clinic who was not involved in the study.
cardio and strength training
For this study, researchers used data from the National Health Interview Survey, which followed 416,420 American adults recruited between 1997 and 2014. How many sessions of muscle-strengthening exercises they did in a week.
After controlling for factors such as age, gender, income, education, marital status, and the presence or absence of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, the researchers did one hour of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise per week. Those who do have a 15% lower risk of death. Workers who worked three hours a week had a 27% lower risk of death.
However, those who also participated in one to two strength-training sessions per week had an even lower risk of death, 40% lower than those who did not exercise at all. was the approximate difference between those who have the habit of
Relationship between strength training and longevity
Experts say research is difficult because so few people do longevity and strength training regularly. A recent study also found that only 24% of participants did regular strength training (63% of the participants said they did cardio). “Even with a large cohort like we had here, the numbers are still relatively low,” said Arden Pope, an economist at Brigham Young University and one of the study’s authors.
But research is starting to catch up. A recent meta-analysis, also published in February in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, was able to quantify the impact of non-cardio strength training on longevity.
The greatest reductions were associated with 30-60 minutes of strength training per week, found to reduce the risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease and cancer by 10-20%. But Haruki Monma, a sports scientist at Tohoku University and one of the study’s authors, points out that more research is needed to find the optimal amount of strength training.
regular strength training
More research is needed, but experts generally agree that regular strength training can have important benefits for healthy aging, including maintaining a high quality of life. I’m here.
“Good muscle strength allows you to function at a higher level for longer,” says Dr. Bruce Moseley, an orthopedic surgeon at Baylor College of Medicine.
Muscle strength is necessary for many daily activities, such as getting up from a chair, opening a jar of pickles, carrying groceries home, and doing yard work. But as we age, we gradually lose muscle mass, says Monica Ciorino, a physical therapist at the University of Washington in St. Louis.
This muscle loss usually begins in your 30s and progresses with age. However, with regular strength training, “you can avoid the negative effects altogether,” says Ciolino. And it’s never too late to start. Studies show that even someone in his 70s with mobility problems can benefit from his program of regular strength training.
Moseley suggests aiming for a consistent strength-training schedule and moderating it to avoid overuse injuries. “Once your body starts adjusting, you can start increasing.”
If you’re still unsure about a particular exercise, he recommends seeking professional advice through exercise classes or talking to a personal trainer. Said. Not only does this help you live longer, but it improves your quality of life.
“When I ask people, ‘What does aging successfully mean to you? “It’s not necessarily just about living as long as possible.” – This article was originally new york times
