It’s [Not] Too Late

By TIG on January 9, 2018 in Resources

New study shows you can reverse heart risk with exercise in adults age 45-64.

Don’t give into the gloomy reports that if you don’t start exercising young, you’re doomed to a life of heart disease and discomfort after 65. A new study, published in the journal Circulation, followed the habits and hearts of 53 adults aged 45-64 who were generally healthy but had no history of regular exercise.

This is great news for generations of office workers and TV watchers. We all know the exercise habits we’re supposed to have before 65, but workaholics are getting younger and younger and free time is all but disappearing.

If you’re concerned about your heart health and are middle-aged, you still have plenty of time to reverse damage from a sedentary lifestyle. The longer you wait, the more work you have to put in though. It’s worth it to improve heart elasticity and let you enjoy that retirement for years to come.

Here’s how the people in the study found their success:

One high-intensity aerobic session (i.e. 4×4 high-intensity interval training)
2-3 days a week of moderate intensity exercise (can still carry on a conversation)
1+ weekly strength training session
1+ long aerobic session (i.e. 1 hour of tennis, dancing, brisk walking)

You can start with 30-min moderate sessions and build up.

Dr. Benjamin Levine, lead author on the study, shared with the BBC that exercise needs to be a part of people’s personal hygiene, like teeth brushing.

“It’s not something that gets added on to the end of the day: You brush your teeth, you change your clothes, you eat food and drink water. You do these things for personal hygiene. Exercise is equally important. You need to find ways to incorporate it into your daily activities.”