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Study shows exercise helps keep you young
When I was thinking about the topic for this month’s column, I came across a couple of studies that brought up another benefit of exercise that we don’t talk about in our public speaking opportunities: It keeps you young.
While Casey and I focus on the more obvious health benefits of Movin’ and Munchin’ Schools—such as our keeping our hearts strong and bodies fit—we don’t mention that it helps our physical appearance too. But a study by German scientists released in December says the key to staying young involves exercise. Since Casey and I are not getting any younger, that’s not a bad thing.
Americans spend billions each year on face creams, nutritional supplements, and even plastic surgery in the quest for eternal youth. But the most effective technique to keep your body young may be vigorous exercise.
But don’t take my word for it. These next two paragraphs are from a Wall Street Journal report, which was based on a study in the journal Circulation:
“Researchers from Germany first noticed that mice trained to run on a wheel had biological changes that led to healthier cells. So the scientists decided to compare cells from professional track and field athletes to cells from healthy adults who were not physically active. Both groups had the same chronological age, but the cells from the athletes were biologically younger. They had longer telomeres—which are protective caps on the end of DNA strands.
As we age, the caps get shorter and leave the DNA vulnerable to damage. The results suggest that regular exercise helps maintain the caps as we age. Previous research on telomere length in twins has found that exercise makes cells on average nine years younger—and the more active you are, the greater the benefit.”
While the authors of the small study (104 people) say this is not enough evidence to call exercise the fountain of youth, other experts say it’s a logical step to believe exercise is a contributing factor.
And I say it’s another reason for everyone to be movin’ as much as they can.
