When it comes to health, the importance of fitness is near the top of the list.
Exercise is good for many different reasons. It directly affects all of the factors that go into a long, healthy life — mobility, heart health, brain health, muscle strength and more, said Jonathan Zins, a physical therapist at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.
Exercise also contributes to the cycle of healthy aging. And, according to experts, there are a few types you should do if you are hoping to boost your longevity. Here’s what they are:
Cardiovascular Exercise
Cardiovascular exercise — like running, biking, dancing, boxing and more — is full of benefits that can help you age well.
Cardiovascular activity focuses on strengthening your heart. “Nothing else really can strengthen it better than a cardio workout,” said Sandra Corcione, a personal trainer at FITloft Gym in New Jersey.
Specifically, aerobic exercise can lower your risk for heart disease (which is the No. 1 killer of American adults). It also helps lower blood pressure and your risk of diabetes, which are two heart disease risk factors.
Beyond this, cardiovascular exercise also is good for brain health, Zins said. “The brain responds very quickly to exercise. Just three hours of aerobic exercise a week can greatly increase brain perfusion — so, getting more blood supply up to the brain and reducing inflammation.”
Working out may even help prevent some cases of dementia, Zins noted. In fact, according to the U.K.-based Alzheimer’s Society, you can reduce your risk of dementia by roughly 28% by doing regular exercise.
When doing aerobic exercise, you want to be out of breath, Zins added. Your heart rate should be at 60% to 80% of your heart rate max, which can be calculated online or through a fitness tracker. For example, if your max heart rate is 185 beats per minute, a heart rate of 111 to 148 would put you in that 60% to 80% target.
Or you can do the “talk test” to determine where your…
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