readersdigest.co.in 71a gym membership or a delicious
healthy meal with your family and
other loved ones. All of those are likely
to do more for your emotional and
physical health than a supplement.
Move
A body in motion will age better than
one on the couch. Consider these tips
for exercise as you age.
In recent years, high-intensity in-
terval training has generated consi-
derable attention. This type of workout,
typically lasting less than 15 minutes,
and including a warm-up and cool-
down, but has been shown in multiple
studies to provide health and fitness
benefits that are the same as or greater
than an hour or more of continuous
and relatively moderate exercise.
A Mayo Clinic study published in
2017 found that interval training led
to changes in muscles at the cellular
level, essentially reversing the natural
decline that occurs with ageing. Even
if you’re not an exerciser, it’s not too
late to start. In the study, older peo-
ple’s cells responded more robustly to
intense exercise than the cells of the
young did. Weightlifting can help you
maintain muscle mass and stronger
bones as you age. And the good news
is you don’t have to lift weights like a
bodybuilder to reap the benefits.
Scientists have found that a light
weight lifting routine is equally as ef-
fective at increasing muscle mass and
strength, as lifting very heavy weights.
The key is lifting the weight enough
times to grow tired, not the heaviness
of the weights themselves. Strength
training can also help keep you from
slowing down. Focus on strengthening
muscles in the calves and ankles.
During a 2017 study, researchers
looked at the neurological effects of
country dancing with those of walking
and other activities. Male and female
study participants in their 60s and 70s
were divided into activity groups that
included brisk walking, a programme
of gentle stretching and toning work
and a dancing group.