Want to Live Five More Years? Get Out There and Exercise Every Day

Duh.  A new study has found that regular exercise can slow aging.

 It may even be able to add up to five years to your life.

 New research suggests that a person can slow the speed at which she ages by exercising regularly, according to newswise.com.

 My husband, who believes exercise can cure everything from the common cold to cancer, will be jubilant (and boastful).   I can't wait.

 Regular exercise not only improves the quality of life but can also extend a person’s lifespan by up to five years, the Web site reports on the study's facts. Additionally, research suggests that older adults receive the most benefits when combining endurance exercise with resistance exercise.

 Yay.  Finally I'm doing something right.  I jog and swim.  Not well, but still.

 However, other studies suggest it's extreme exercise that slows aging.  

 The Guardian writer Matthew Jenkin claims that every morning, 72-year-old grandmother Dr Betty Holsden-Smith does a few crunches, lifts some weights, stretches and heads to the local track to run - for 12 hours straight. (She'll probably live to 200!).

 But she's not done yet. "Barely stopping to eat, drink or sleep, her longest 'ultra-run' covered more than 100 miles and took three days and three nights to complete. Now this US supergran from Maryland is hoping to double her personal best by running a blistering six-day race in Arizona next month."

 Now, not too many 70-year-olds (or even 40-year-olds) could do this.  But thankfully, most experts say exercise doesn't have to be extreme to work.  Regular exercise helps to prevent and manage more than 20 chronic conditions, including coronary heart disease, stroke, type two diabetes, cancer, obesity, mental health problems and musculoskeletal conditions.

 So maybe pull those clothes off that elliptical and have at it!





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