Exercise for Health & Longevity
03.08.2023
Written by Bowen Ji
I’m sure you have heard about how exercise is beneficial for us (hence why we do it). Although this is true, have we ever thought about the various types of exercises that exist, and how they each play an integral role in improving our longevity and health. Before we dive into the specific benefits of exercise (along with some helpful tips), let’s begin by exploring the idea of exercise.
Well, what is exercise?
Exercise doesn’t just have to be limited to the gym environment. In fact, it can be considered as any type of planned activity that gets your body moving. For instance, it can be anything from hiking and dancing to lifting heavy weights in the gym.
There are many types of exercise. These include aerobic, anaerobic, flexibility and stability exercises. Let’s have a look at each type:
Aerobic exercises - works on your body’s ability to utilise oxygen. It usually consists of lower intensity movements performed over long periods of time. For example, long-distance running
Anaerobic exercises - works on your body’s ATP energy system (non-oxygenated), performed at higher intensities over shorter periods of time. These can include strength, power, and even bodybuilding exercises.
Flexibility & balance exercises - helps improve mobility and prevent injuries down the track. They can be performed separately or together (For instance - yoga).
Note: Refer to our previous post on stretching!
How does exercise help improve our longevity and quality of life:
Exercise not only greatly improves our physical health, but also our mental wellbeing in the long term. Let’s have a look..
Physical benefits
Strengthen our bones, muscles and joints, which becomes more important as we age. This is because we naturally experience muscle loss and bone fragility.
Our metabolism naturally slows down as we age, which increases our likelihood of gaining weight. Exercise helps combat this, especially when a sedentary lifestyle is becoming more prevalent. Inactivity is strongly associated with weight gain and obesity, which is one of the major causes of type II diabetes and coronary heart disease like stroke.
Helps improve overall energy levels and cardiovascular health, including reduction in blood pressure.
Our sense of balance and stability naturally reduces as we get older. Performing balance exercises are effective in falls prevention.
Mental benefits
Helps improve overall mental wellbeing, concentration and quality of sleep.
Reduces anxiety and helps in the fight against depression.
Produces dopamine and serotonin release which helps improve overall mood by releasing stress.
Build self-confidence and character through improved resilience and adherence towards staying on top of your goals.
Here are some tips on exercising towards long term health:
Healthy balance is the key - If our goal is for better long-term health overall, then balance is the key. This means focusing on all aspects of exercise (anaerobic, aerobic, balance & flexibility).
Enjoy it - Perform exercises that you enjoy to help reduce sedentary behaviour. You are more likely to do the activities that you enjoy.
Be the perfect warrior - perform combinations of strength and cardio exercises each week to reap the benefits of both.
Focus on quality over quantity - Set your egos aside and focus on quality of movement. This will lead to better outcomes, while minimising long-term injuries down the road.
Consistency consistency consistency! - Remember: an average workout plan performed consistently is better than a perfect program performed seldomly.
Schedule it - Create a strong habit by scheduling training dates in your calendar, and be specific about it. You are more likely to exercise if you do.
Practise gratitude - It’s important to shift your mental framework. Whenever you feel unmotivated to exercise, instead of thinking “I need to exercise today”, try “I get to exercise today”
Plan your workout - Sometimes we will just be too exhausted to create a workout on the fly. Therefore, we are more likely to exercise if it’s structured and planned with progression towards a valuable goal. For more tips, check out our blog on how to structure your workout!
