Is It Possible? Will Exercise Make Me Live Longer?
There are a lot of myths surrounding the health and fitness world. We hear all kinds of great new discoveries, as they are touted, only to realize that they are nothing more than wishful thinking. As a longtime personal trainer in Austin, I’m asked a lot of questions, both in, and out of the gym. One great question came from an older lady who had just joined my gym. She asked will exercise make me live longer?
Plenty of supplement companies will make claims that their products can not only improve your performance, your libido, your waistline, but your life expectancy as well. Is this possible? Who knows, but I personally doubt it. I think eating properly will go a long ways towards a longer life span, as will doing other things to take of yourself. Not drinking too much alcohol is something we can do that can might invite an increased risk of heart disease and liver problems, for example. Eating less sugar is another preventative measure, as is the omission of soda. It goes without saying that smoking is a bad idea if you want to increase your odds of a long and healthy life as well.
These are all obvious things we can do to promote a healthy life, but will exercise make me live longer? There’s no great answer for that, according to the scientific community anyway. My answer from all my years of experience as a gym owner and an Austin personal trainer, is that it may or may not increase your lifespan a little, but it will definitely improve your quality of life. That to me is indisputable.
I’ve worked extensively with the elderly as a personal trainer, and those clients who live active lives, which included regular exercise, good eating practices, and an overall healthy approach to life, have a far better quality of life than their sedentary counterparts. Muscles are great for strength, and our increased ability to do certain functional things, like carry groceries and climb stairs, for example. The building of those muscles through weight bearing exercises, however is just as important for bone density, especially in small framed females, who are at a greater risk of osteoporosis.
There’s no disputing that we lose a certain amount of muscle every year, unless we work on replenishing it. That means exercises that build muscle, or hypertrophy, as it’s otherwise known. So, will exercise make me live longer? I can’t prove that it does, but I can assure you without hesitation, that you will enjoy a much greater quality of life if you are strong and able to perform functional tasks, no matter how old you are.
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Andy
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