The Best Anti-Ageing Advice You’ve Never Had

Written By Mike Richards

What if I told you we've got the answer to helping you put a lot more years in your life, and life in your years.

No pills, potions or lotions here, just one word. We’re talking about exercise.

At this point you might feel like clciking the “back” button, because we all know exercise is good for us. Don’t we?

Exercise is even better than you thought it was

Health professionals love to proclaim that “if exercise came in a pill, doctors would prescribe it to every human on Earth”. And they’re not wrong. Here’s a short list of measurable outcomes that exercise has a beneficial effect on:

And these are just the ones we know about, for sure, that have been documented in scientific journals. There are plenty more waiting to be proved, and no significant downside has yet been found outside of doing too much, too soon. So make sure you consult a healthcare professional before starting or modifying an exercise programme.

Does exercise actually make you younger?

The conclusion from this excellent study is particularly powerful. it points out that a lot of we commonly describe as “ageing” is in fact a group of reversible or at least preventable conditions. And the best way to prevent, slow down or reverse these things? Exercise.

Consistency is key

So it seems that exercise pill can’t come soon enough. Although it may be more helpful to think of it less like taking a pill, and more like watering a plant. Culturally we tend to taking pills for a quick fix, then stop when that problem ceases. In the clinic we see many lower back pain sufferers use exercise in the same way.

You could take the same approach with caring for a plant, only watering it when the leaves start to wilt; but for it to thrive it needs regular care – being given the things it needs before it falls into ill health.

Exercise should be thought of akin to watering a plant, rather than taking a pill.

Indeed the documented positive effects of exercise are in fact the documented positive effects of regular exercise, and exhibit what we call a “dose-response”. Some exercise is good, more is better, and vigorous exercise is better than moderate exercise. This seems to hold true up to about an hour of vigorous exercise per day.

So how much physical activity should we be doing?

The WHO recommends

at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity.

“Vigorous-intensity activity” (also referred to as “high intensity exercise”), it’s anything done with a large amount of effort, resulting in a substantially higher heart rate and rapid breathing. If you’re huffing and puffing, you’re doing vigorous exercise.

So make sure you take your exercise. Your life quite literally depends on it. The guidelines above translate to as little as five 30-minute walks a week - but remember that is a minimum. To summarise:

  • Regular exercise keeps you young, prolongs life and improves quality of life.

  • Some exercise is good. More is better. Huffing and puffing is best.

The best part is, exercise is free and limitless so put your shoes on and get moving. Walk to the shops. Get off the bus a couple of stops earlier. Take the stairs instead of the lift. It might ache a little along the way, but you'll thank us in 20 years!

If you need help or advice getting back on the exercise bandwagon, contact us.

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing”

Mike Richards
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