Want to live longer? Well if you’re a woman, researchers now say there’s a simple way to lengthen your longevity–and it won’t cost you a penny.
Professor Debra Anderson, who recently led a study on the effects of certain lifestyle habits on women, says that simply increasing a certain type of exercise helps women live longer.
Now she recommends that all older women make exercise a habit.
“Studies clearly show moderate to vigorous intensity activity can have mental and physical health benefits, particularly when part of broader positive health changes,” says Anderson, who serves as Director of Research at the Queensland University of Technology School of Nursing. “Older adults who undertake regular physical activity also report significantly less disability, better physical function and that is regardless of their body mass.”
Along with fellow researcher Charlotte Seib, Anderson gathered nearly five years of research conducted on exercise and its effects on women over the age of 50, commonly known as their menopausal years. Looking specifically at the effects of vigorous exercise, a type of exercise that requires significant effort and can leave women breathless, Anderson wanted to find out its effects on their mental and physical health. After counting out other variables, she found that vigorous exercise was unanimously associated with improved physical and mental health, including improved brain functioning.
This significantly reduced their risk of death from any number of diseases as well.
“The most active women are more likely to survive than the least physically active women,” says Anderson. “What we are saying is that high-intensity exercise is not only good for your physical health but also your brain health. Our studies show that mid-to-later in life women are jogging, running, hiking, swimming and riding.”
In turn, Anderson suggests that doctors should be developing exercise programs tailored to promote vigorous exercise. Making these exercises easy to do at home could increase the likelihood they’ll engage in them more as well, suggests Anderson.
“We have an aging population and as a result promoting healthy aging has become an important strategy for reducing morbidity and mortality,” says Anderson. “Doctors should be developing exercise programs that are home-based and easy to incorporate as part of everyday activities.”
What You Should Do
It’s true: Exercise extends your lifespan. But to reap the benefits found in this study, a simple 30 minute walk won’t do; instead, you’ll need to amp up the intensity.
So what’s the best way to do that?
“When once we thought that 30 minutes of mild exercise a day was enough to improve health, research is now telling us that older women should be doing at least 30-45 minutes five times a week of moderate to high intensity exercise and by that we mean exercise that leaves you huffing and puffing,” says Anderson. She recommends high-intensity exercises such as running, hiking, or even swimming. If you’re opposed to going to a gym, pumping weights wouldn’t hurt either–weightlifting has also been shown to have innumerable health benefits for both men and women.
Readers: How often do you engage in vigorous exercise?
Sources:
Study: Vigorous Exercise May Help Post-Menopausal Women Extend Their Lifespan – Maturitas.org
Exercising Vigorously Associated With Lower Incidence of Death Among Women Over 50 – ScienceDaily.com
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