We all know the importance of exercise in keeping our body strong and healthy as we get older. It’s no secret that working out keeps you younger—both in terms of the energy you have and your physical ability to keep doing the things you love. Fitness certainly affects how youthful you look and the way you move.

The rate at which we lose muscle mass is dependent upon our level of activity and engagement in exercise. People are more apt to maintain muscle mass and keep body fat in check as they age if they’re physically fit.

But how exactly does exercise and workouts aid the body in the aging process, and what are the best anti-aging workouts out there?

You cannot turn back the clock, but you can slow the effects of aging on your body through exercise. New research shows that certain forms of exercise have the most profound anti-aging effects. If someone is not exercising at all (roughly 50 percent of Americans say they do less than 10 minutes of walking per day), something is better than nothing. The goal here however should be to get to 5,000 to 10,000 steps.

The second major proven anti-aging exercise is resistance training, or moving your body against gravity. That takes around 30 mins to get your maximum anti-aging benefit.

The third proven anti-aging workout is cardio, around 20 minutes three times per week is great for your heart.

The fourth top anti-aging exercise is jumping.

ANTI AGING EXERCISES and WORKOUTS

Here some further detailed examples of proven exercises / workouts that have been found to enhance longevity and health.

Anti-aging Exercise
European Heart Journal says when it comes down to the anti-aging effects of exercise, cardio is number one.

Endurance exercise–like running, swimming, or bicycling–and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) both slowed signs of aging compared to lifting weights–at least on the cellular level.

In the cells from runners and participants in high-intensity interval training, researchers noted important changes: Their telomeres–the caps at the ends of chromosomes–lengthened, and telomerase–an enzyme involved in maintaining those caps–increased. These effects important for cellular aging, regenerative capacity.

Telomeres naturally shrink over time, and as they do, cells die instead of continuing to divide. Cell death causes wrinkles, grey hair, and increases the risk of age-related health concerns like heart disease, cognitive decline, and even early death.

Anti-aging Exercise
A team from Brigham Young University found that adults who jogged for 30 to 40 minutes five times a week had telomeres as long as those of people who were 9 years younger than them, for example. This new study, is the largest ever to directly compare the anti-aging effects on telomeres of different types of exercise. lifting weights–at least on the cellular level.

Anti-aging Workout
High intensity interval workouts have been linked with additional anti-aging cellular changes.
Strength and power training are critically important as we age, according to the American Physical Therapy Association. It recommends to effectively manage the impact of aging on muscle strength and power, it is critical to incorporate high-intensity strength training into your activity regimen.

A study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism by the Mayo Clinic noted, there are exercises and workouts we are seeing that cannot be done by any medicine. The research points to the benefits of incorporating High intensity interval workouts and strength training into your routine as you get older.

High intensity interval workouts is defined as mixing intense bursts of exercise with short periods of active rest; a run-walk combination is a good example. Interval training can be incorporated into activities such as walking and biking to swimming. These bursts keep the heart rate up and help burn fat. In fact High intensity interval workouts is considered one of the best ways to improve cardiorespiratory and metabolic function.