3 Fitness Markers for Longevity and Healthy Aging

Exercise is the "miracle drug" when it comes to living a longer, healthier life, states Insider magazine in a recent article by Gabby Landsverk.

The article explores three essential fitness metrics to focus on to streamline your workouts. According to Caitlin Donato, a certified personal trainer and director of fitness at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Miami, these three fitness metrics are heart-health, muscle mass, and balance.

Heart-Health: You and your doctor will keep tabs on your blood pressure and cholesterol, but Donato says that there is an exercise that can help you evaluate how well your heart is functioning. VO2 max is a measurement of how much oxygen your body can use during exercise. According to Donato, the higher your VO2 max, the more likely you are to live a long life. "It's effectively a marker of how efficient your body is, how you're metabolizing oxygen. And so we're able to see how that improves with lifestyle changes," she said. "VO2 max is one of our best indicators of life expectency." 

⦁    Walk for heart-health: Sports medicine experts suggest mixing steady cardio work outs at a conversational pace but add interval workouts with short bursts of high-intensity exercise to improve your VO2 max. Start a leisurely walk for four minutes, the next two minutes pick up the pace, pump your arms while you walk and don't slouch. Engage your abdominal muscles. After two minutes of this higher intensity pace, return to a steady pace for two minutes. Then for the next two minutes try a "power walk," which is the most intense walking rate you can safely manage -- focus on your form. This 10-minute stretch can be repeated as many times as you're comfortable with. 

Muscle Mass: Building and maintaining muscle mass helps prevent frailty and promotes better health as we age. With this in mind, a mix of weight training with cardio is ideal. Weights or resistance training should be a part of your exercise regime, says Donato. She adds that you don't need to spend a lot of time on this aspect of fitness, and that you should focus on good form and gradually increase your weight and/or time. Consider starting a new routine at the senior center or health club where you can receive guidance from an expert to make sure you are doing it in a way that won't cause harm. 

Balance: "When we talk about longevity, we look at balance," says Donato. She said we must train for balance as we do with weight training or cardio. One easy way to assess your balance at home is to stand on one leg for 10 seconds (stand next to a chair or some stable furniture that you can hold onto if you start to lose your balance). If you can't stand on one leg for 10 seconds, you need to concentrate on your balance. Donato suggests that raising your knee can be a part of an exercise routine (stay next to a chair or something you can grab if you lose your balance), or core exercises like a plank, or carrying heavier objects safely can improve stability by strengthening abs, hips and glutes. Mimic simple everyday movements like getting up from a chair or carrying a grocery bag can help. Again, it helps to consult with an expert when you start any new exercise routine. 

Read the full article, which includes resource links, at https://www.businessinsider.com/longevity-trainer-fitness-markers-to-watch-for-a-longer-life-2024-7