This issue:
Exercise That Fosters Longevity

Consider whether your exercising fits well with living a long, healthy life.

Why

A widely reported British study of twins found that the twin who exercised

more had longer telomeres--and the more exercise the longer the telomeres.

Under a microscope, telomeres of frequent exercisers looked nine years

younger than couch potato telomeres. Telomeres cap the ends of chromosomes

and each time the cell reproduces the telomeres shorten.

When they get too short, the cell cannot reproduce. The researchers ruled

out smoking and marital status as causal factors. (The study is, of course, 

correlational research and it is possible there could be differences other than exercise.)

The research prompted headlines like,

"If you want to live nine years longer a daily jog could do the trick."

Personally, I have a lot of reservations about jogging as an

exercise of choice.

Good planning starts with the end in mind. The same planning should go

with how you exercise. Here are my rules for exercising for longevity:

Rule #1 Be Gentle on Joints

If your long-term outcome is for your knees to last 100+ years,

jogging may be a problem. You might be better served by running on a trampoline

or soft surface or using an elliptical machine. If you do want to jog

(perhaps to get the invigorating feeling of being outdoors, going somewhere,

and scenery) be sure to carefully choose your shoes and avoid pavement.

If you play a lot of basketball, make sure it isn't unduly compromising

your knees. If a sport such as tennis is causing repetitive motion pain,

regard it as a wake up call. Extreme weight lifting is very hard on joints.

Rule #2 Avoid Injuries

There are friendly games of touch tag football that are great exercise.

And there are aggressive, brutal games like the one in the movie Wedding Crashers.

It's not the sport per se but the way you and your colleagues play it that is important.

Also consider head injuries. Football, for example, causes a lot of

concussions (which cause brain damage and foster senility). If you play

soccer, do you really want to head butt balls going as fast as

30 miles an hour? Being objective, what is the likelihood of your

becoming injured from sports or exercising in the next ten years?

Rule #3 Foster Flexibility

Most activities, sports, and exercises use our flexor muscles more than our extensor

muscles. Flexibility involves making sure we use the extensor muscles as well

and keep a good range of motion. This can be as easy as periodically

taking a break from the computer and stretching. If your current sports,

exercises, and activities don't leave you flexible, consider supplementing

them with exercises that enhance flexibility.

Rule #4 Practice Balancing

As people age, many choose to become less active. Consequently, their

muscle strength declines, their bones weaken, and their balance declines.

Causes of declining balance include not using their proprioceptive

system and neurons not being as efficient as they used to be.

This is a set up for falling and breaking a hip or another bone.

Just spending a few minutes balancing yourself on one leg in various positions

helps a lot to slow the decline. This can be done while watching TV or

perhaps even while waiting in a line.

Rule #5 Go for Optimal Heart and Lung Capacity

The traditional advice is to get on a treadmill for at least thirty minutes

and get into your target heart rate zone (50-85% of your capacity).

Dr. Al Sears makes a convincing case that this is actually training

our hearts and lungs to have that capacity (but not more).

He cites marathon runners as examples of how because of their extreme

cardiovascular workout they have little reserve capacity for all out

exertion or health crises and are prone to heart attacks. He advocates

exercising full out for a couple of minutes and recouping, and then repeating

the process a few times. Just as the key to building muscle is to challenge it,

the key to a bigger heart and lung muscle is to challenge it and have reserve capacity

that can endure an all out expenditure of energy (an emergency or even shoveling snow)

or a health crisis such as a heart attack.

Rule #6 Have Good Posture

Other than injuries, the biggest cause of back problems is the long-term

effects of poor posture. The solution is often subtle exercises to

develop supporting muscles. Experts in this area include movement

specialists and Pilates and Feldenkris instructors.

Rules #7 Be Strong

When young, strength feeds energy, confidence, ability and a higher

metabolism to counter a creeping waistline. With age and the tendency

for bones to lose mass, it becomes increasingly important for bone

density to prevent broken bones and osteoporosis. Muscle strength comes

more from challenging limits than mere repetition.

Achieving all of these goals is best met by a variety of activities and

exercises. You don't have to spend money or join a fitness club to

get results. The best exercise equipment is your own body (calisthenics).

The second best is a jump rope (on a soft surface). Do consult with

your doctor before undertaking any increase in exercise intensity.

Quotes

It used to be said that you’re too old to exercise. Well, the truth is that
you're too old not to exercise. Most of what passes as aging really isn’t.
It’s disuse.  ~Walter Bortz, MD

Humor
 

I used to watch golf on TV but my doctor told me that I need more exercise,

so now I watch tennis.
 

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THE DEFY AGING NEWSLETTER
Anti-Aging Psychology
Holistic Health and Wellness

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"Dr. Michael Brickey, The Anti-Aging Psychologist, teaches people to think, feel, look and be more youthful. He is an inspiring keynote speaker and Oprah-featured author. His works include:  Defy Aging, 52 baby steps to Grow Young, and Reverse Aging (anti-aging hypnosis CDs). Visit www.NotAging.com for a free report on anti-aging secrets and a free newsletter with practical anti-aging tips."