Discover the impact of exercise on aging. Explore how physical activity can promote longevity and improve overall well-being as you grow older.
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You know you need to exercise to stay fit and healthy. And you know that exercise helps you stay looking young. It also helps you to stay active enough to enjoy the things that young people experience. You might have heard of anti-aging workouts, but they are often misunderstood. They’re not there to stop the years from counting down; they’re there to encourage a dynamic aging process in your body. There are five workouts that you should do to maintain your youth and your health.
Before we dive into that, what exactly causes the aging process? The five main culprits are:
- Bad eating habits
Filling up on sugary foods will make you older before your time. Make sure you load up on fresh fruit and vegetables, as they can prevent premature aging. - Facial expressions
The way you hold your face can also age you faster. When you’re constantly pulling a certain facial expression, the muscles and skin in that area become accustomed to that shape, and it’ll stay that way too. - Too much sun
You don’t need a lecture on why too much sun is bad for your skin. By all means, enjoy it, but make sure you’re protecting your skin and getting enough shade. - Poor alcohol habits
Too much alcohol dehydrates the body, and it will show in your skin! Your skin will be rough and dry, and it’ll make you look older than you are. Not to mention what it’s doing to your organs. - Not exercising
Not only is exercise good for your overall health, but it also helps you to continue looking young and healthy because it stimulates the blood circulation, which helps you to look revitalized.
Workouts that can prevent aging
Workout your brain
When you age, it’s not just your body that shows telltale signs; it’s your brain too. You wouldn’t want to have toned muscles and smooth skin but no brain power, would you? To keep your mind fit, you’ll have to add in exercises that workout your brain too. You might do things like play chess, learn how to play mahjong, word puzzle games, and do other physical brain activities like learning new dance moves. The more you workout your brain, the younger you’ll be.
Squat properly
When you think of ailments that go hand in hand with age, there’s a good chance you think about poor hips and painful knees, and that’s because people simply don’t squat properly. But it’s an exercise most of us do every single day. Take the time to learn how to squat properly to avoid any unnecessary knee or hip damage.
It’s different for men and women. Women should make sure their toes are turned out slightly so that their femur aligns with their hip joint, whereas men should always squat with their toes forward. Squatting in the right way helps keep your joints strong and minimises any chance of knee or hip problems.
Switch up your workout routines
Sticking to the same old workout routine will help prevent your body from aging too. Not changing it up could mean you accidentally miss a vital workout in certain areas of your body. Switch it up from week to week to keep things exciting!
Do some high-impact activities
If your fitness levels aren’t very high at the moment, you may have to work your way up to this one. It’s going to be a challenge, so make sure you don’t forget that you want to stay young and healthy. There’s a lot of jumping involved, but it helps your bones build up strength for high impact, which will help if you do accidentally take a little tumble from time to time. Then again, those who workout are less likely to fall and injure themselves because they’re naturally more balanced.
Do a total-body workout every now and then
Finally, the last thing you want is to spend your workout solely on the treadmill. Your whole body needs a good workout in order to stay young and healthy. Make an effort to spend more time in the weight area.
You can apply a combination of light and moderate cardio as you do some weight exercises. This is a perfect workout if you’re looking to burn off some calories and build muscles! A great option is to do an upper body workout while you’re using an exercise bike because it’s comfortable enough to support your back, especially if you’re just starting out with your exercise regime.
In Conclusion
So, can you really beat aging through exercise? Absolutely! You just need to make sure you’re doing the right exercises for your health.