People today are living longer than ever — or at least, they’re trying to! With the internet today we have access to the latest information, proper diet recommendations, and exercise regimens. Having all of this information at our fingertips will only help our generation live longer. Still, for some people, getting up and exercising is still a challenge. Whether you are raising kids, busy with work or just plain out don’t want to work out — we all continue to try. So, I have a few suggestions for good exercise for longevity — good physical health will help you reap the rewards of your great financial health! Low impact, joint protection, mobility, and high cardio exercises are what we’re looking for.
Swimming exercises: many advantages over land
There are many advantages of being in the water to exercise rather than being on land. For example:
- You weigh less in water
- You have higher humidity, so you don’t overheat as easily
- You have much more support in water than you do on land
Swimming is also easy on your joints — so much so that it’s recommended for people of all ages! It’s low impact, and because of that it’s something you can do every single day. Working in a few 30 minute lap sessions a week at the pool can have a great impact on your health.
Swimming, in addition, promotes flexibility. While swimming won’t stretch you as effectively as yoga (more on that in a bit) the range of motion involved in swimming lengthens the muscles in a way that can make your joints more flexible and assist with recovery. It’s a full body workout, meaning you have to use your core and legs as well as your upper body.
Rowing exercises: high effectiveness, low impact
If you’ve walked into any CrossFit gym in the past 10 years — CrossFIt has been around that long! — you’ve seen plenty of rowers. In fact, you may despise them… but there’s a reason they should be a regular part of your workouts. These machines simulate rowing: a full body workout and highly effective exercise that’s also low impact! Rowing puts your entire body to the test in ways that other cardio exercises, such as biking, an elliptical machine or running, simply can’t do. Because of that it burns far more calories in less time. For someone getting older, this is helpful and can avoid the strain of longer, more intense workouts.
Another plus: rowing is a fluid movement which is very low impact. There’s no jarring impact on your knees or any extreme mobility requirement. It’s an excellent cardiovascular and endurance workout for older folks who don’t want to use weights. Rowing machines can pose a risk of lower back strain, but this can be avoided through proper form. Overall, rowing is a superb exercise for longevity.
Yoga: more than just physical benefits
I know… yoga may not burn as many calories as the previous recommendations. However, there’s no doubt that it certainly has its place as an exercise for longevity and health. Along with burning calories and toning muscles, it’s a total workout for body AND mind. It combines strengthening and stretching poses with deep breathing and meditation. I personally prefer “hot” yoga workouts for certain benefits. For example, improved flexibility is one benefit of hot yoga. Stretching in a warm room makes it more effective and easier. The heat allows you to stretch further and achieve a greater range of motion. Also, in a warm room you give your heart, lungs, and muscles a more challenging workout than doing the same poses in a lower temperature room. Hot yoga is known to lower stress levels, ease depression, and build bone density.
Exercise will help you live longer
Those who have some regular physical activity usually live longer than those who don’t. Yep. It’s as simple as that. Just two-and-a-half hours a week of exercise (less than 25 minutes a day) can reduce risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and other chronic diseases. So I encourage you to exercise for longevity — stay tuned next month for strategies that seek to ensure your financial longevity stays in pace, too!
October 2019