Getting older means a lot of things: Having less energy, strength, and even trouble remembering things. But is there a way to recapture your youth?
According to researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder and Humboldt State University, there is–and the solution is as simple as going out for a daily jog.
“What we found is that older adults who regularly participate in highly aerobic activities–running in particular–have a lower metabolic cost of walking than older, sedentary adults and also lower than seniors who regularly walk for exercise,” says Justus Ortega, a professor at Humboldt State University who led the study. “It’s been known for a long time that as people age their maximum aerobic capacity, or ‘horsepower,’ declines, and that is true for runners as well. What’s new here is we found that old runners maintain their fuel economy.”
Reporting in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers initially recruited 30 older adults who either ran or walked for exercise for at least a six month period. Ortega, along with other researchers, administered an experiment where all of the participants walked on a treadmill with three different speeds: 1.6 mph, 2.8 mph, or 3.9 mph. From there, researchers measured their oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production to see who worked out more efficiently.
By the end of this experiment, they had their answer: Those who ran regularly worked out better than those who simply walked as exercise.
Next, Ortega compared their oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production readings against younger adults who were also in shape–and found something surprising. Despite their age, the older participants’ readings were just as good, suggesting that running itself may actually protect against the effects old age has on exercise performance.
“It was surprising to find that older adults who regularly run for exercise are better walkers than older adults who regularly walk for exercise,” says Owen Beck, a graduate student and researcher from the University of Colorado Boulder. “The take-home message of the study is that consistently running for exercise seems to slow down the aging process and allows older individuals to move more easily, improving their independence and quality of life.”
But why is running so effective? Researchers themselves aren’t sure–though they hypothesize that running increases more mitochondria in cells, something that generates more energy in the muscle fibers.
And when that occurs, that means you’ll have more energy stores, regardless of your age.
“Walking for exercise has many positive health effects, like fending off heart disease, diabetes, weight gain and depression–it’s just that walking efficiency does not seem to be one of them,” says Rodger Kram, a University of Colorado Boulder Department of Integrative Physiology Associate Professor. “Because we found no external biomechanical differences between the older walkers and runners, we suspect the higher efficiency of senior runners is coming from their muscle cells.”
Bottom Line
If the effects of old age are catching up to you, there’s now an easy fix–go running. Running on a regular or daily basis could reverse the effects old age has on your ability to be strong and have more energy.
Readers: What else do you do to increase your energy levels?
Sources:
Running Can Keep You Young, Says CU-Boulder-Humboldt State Study – EurekAlert.org
Study: Running Keeps Older People Young – Colorado.edu
