Are you worried about aging? Join the club. We all want to look and feel young. But does staying fit provide the fountain of youth?
Hollywood is obsessed with the young – especially if you happen to be female. How often do you see a man in his 50s paired romantically with a woman in her 20s? It’s not even shocking anymore. So no wonder we’re all so preoccupied with maintaining our youthful glow.
But let’s not forget something else. Aging shows us our own mortality. It suggests that time isn’t infinite. And so lines on the face or saggy skin can become sobering reminders.
But could exercise and fitness be the answer? Is staying fit ‘all that’ when it comes to aging? Well get this – some research studies suggest that exercise can reduce the aging process from a cellular level. By staying fit, we literally diminish the physical signs of aging.
Ultimately, there are three levels of aging. The first is perception. That’s what people see when they look at you or guess your age. The second is physicality. This includes concerns of chronic pain or perhaps arthritis. And the final level is the aging mind.
Let’s look at each of these in turn and discover what exercise and fitness can offer.
The Perception of Youth
Exercise can’t help with the physical perception of youth. When you exercise, you sweat. And sweating is a great way to remove toxins from your body.
If you exercise properly, you might notice that your skin actually looks clearer. That’s because sweat detoxifies by pushing out the dirt and oil. So staying fit actually helps maintain a youthful glow.
Exercise doesn’t just stretch the muscles. It also provides beneficial movement for the skin that helps maintain elasticity. So want to avoid a ‘turkey neck’? Cardio is a great way to start.
Weightlifting is another tool to ensure that gravity doesn’t get the better of you. You want to keep things tight and toned. And it’s a no-brainer that weightlifting is a fabulou way to do this.
And here’s a bonus exercise that keeps the skin around your neck tight. Simply tilt your head to the sky and open your mouth ten times. You’ll feel the skin stretching and tightening each time, helping keep the skin around your neck firm.
Exercise will also ensure that you are happier and therefore healthier. Various reports highlight the boost to emotional well-being that comes from exercise. Just make sure to eat a balanced diet of good food too. Because if you do all these, you’ll look more youthful, your eyes will be brighter and you’ll seem like a more positive force in the world.
The Physical Effects Of Exercise
Do you want to know the biggest sign of age? It’s not a change in your appearance. Instead, it’s a sound. More specifically, it’s the grunt that’s made after trying to stand after sitting in a low chair.
The best way is to avoid this is to stay fit with plenty of movement and stretching exercises. That grunt is a key sign that you haven’t been using the muscles and joints enough to keep movement fluid and easy. But don’t think you need to go big or go home.
Exercise doesn’t need to be strenuous to ensure the benefits of a good workout. Gentle movement may be the answer. Think of fitness routines that include workouts like yoga. Don’t let an injury or limited mobility keep you stagnant.
Indeed, even going for a walk can be just as beneficial as something intense like sprinting. Running puts a lot of pressure on the joints. And if your body is having trouble with bouncing back from harsh workouts, think simpler to keep yourself moving.
And if you’re concerned with pain or discomfort, here are two suggestions. First, don’t immediately attempt to run a marathon. And don’t start picking out the heaviest weights. Start easy, and as you get stronger you can slowly up the intensity.
And what if you experience any type of chronic pain? Try watersports. Because aqua therapy has been shown to be beneficial for anyone suffering from chronic pain. And swimming and other water sports are great for burning calories and putting on muscle.
The Impact On The Mind
Finally, let’s consider the impact that aging on the mind. The brain can actually shrink with age. This is due to alarmingly common conditions such as dementia.
Interestingly, exercise can help. Studies show that working out and staying fit may help ward off the early stages of dementia. This is why corporations that help elders with memory skills such as Parc Provence spend time helping their patients be as physically active as possible.
But here’s what you can do while you’re still young to help your older self. Keep both your body and mind active. This will even boost your long-term memory and keep your mind sharp for today, and also for tomorrow.
Of course, escaping the signs of dementia isn’t the only mental benefit of staying fit. Studies on mice show that exercise helps your body fight against stress. Stress, of course, has been linked to various health issues in the body that will have you feeling older than your years.
As you can see, working out won’t stop time But it can certainly make sure that you feel and look younger for a lot longer. It can even help your mind stay young too. So what’s stopping you from getting or staying fit? And how can you fit more activity in your day to live better for many years to come?
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*Photos courtesy of Pexels
I look at the difference between my mom and dad, and I know for sure that being active can keep a person young. Even though my dad is 77 and has to be on oxygen now, he still makes the effort to be more active than my mom. I think too that me being in such good health going into my cancer treatments last year made a world of difference as well.
I once read a brief interview with Stevie Nicks in which she was asked, “How is it that you look as good as you do, given your age?” Nicks responded that it all came down to being active, i.e., things go to pot if you just sit around. So there you have it.
Well, she always looks pretty good, so I’ll take her word for it!
This is such a good post about the impact of exercise, Erica. We were just on a trip to Charleston, SC, which is super flat. We walked 6-8 miles a day (sweated like mad!), but without Pittsburgh or Wales hills, I didn’t feel like I was working as hard. And for sure I ate too much. I’m in recovery for that now!
Endurance sports has kept me young . Been at them for 30 something years. Sure aging up is scary but at my age (75) there is not much distance to fall. Almost anything you do more than sitting seems an anomally in the perspective of many. I won’t go quietly into the night. I started doing triathlons when I was 57, now with 52 under my belt I am trying to finish an ironman next spring. I don’t take any medicine and I eat a plant based diet: no meat, no dairy, limited sugar and fat. The law of inertia: A body in motion tends to stay in motion. A body at rest tends to stay at rest. Choose motion.
https://milesofthejourney.blogspot.com/2018/07/blessed-with-quest.html
Sounds like you have a really healthy lifestyle!