Exercise shown to increase lifespan

JACKSONVILLE, NC, UNITED STATES

08.14.2014

Story by Cpl. Mary Carmona 

Marine Corps Installations East       

People like to use age as an excuse to avoid learning new things or improving themselves.

“Oh, you can’t teach an old dog a new trick,” they’ll tell you with a chuckle, as you try to explain to them the advantages
of tracking workouts on a smartphone application.

You might feel this way about running. You’re already 27 years old and you’ve just never connected with running.

At this point, why should you bother trying to improve? You’re too old to learn new tricks.

Well, I think Fauja Singh would beg to differ.

Singh, who is believed to be the world’s
oldest marathon runner, began running
competitively at the age of 89.

In 2003, at the age of 92, the Jalandhar, India, native ran the 26-mile Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 5 hours and 40 minutes.

His very last race took place almost a decade later, at the Hong Kong marathon’s 10-kilometer race. He completed it in 1 hour and 32 minutes, days before his 102nd birthday.

I guess if Singh can run six miles at the age of 101 then someone about 70 years younger could run three miles.

Now, I don’t mean to stir up conspiracy theories about why Singh was bolting down the streets of Hong Kong after celebrating more than a century on this earth, but there is some scientific research that says exercising extends your life expectancy.

Dr. I-Min Lee, Harvard professor and author of scientific research paper, “Leisure Time Physical Activity of Moderate to
Vigorous Intensity and Mortality: A Large Pooled Cohort Analysis,” confirmed this in an interview with Common Health blog cohost Carey Goldberg.

Lee said that those who follow the suggested amount of 150 minutes of exercise weekly increase their life expectancy by
the ratio of seven minutes gained per one minute of exercise.
In the study “Recreational Physical Activity as an Independent Predictor of Multivariable Cardiovascular Disease Risk,” researchers at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, attempted to determine the role of exercise in relation to cardiovascular
disease.

I won’t go in to detail with the study, but as a side note, the study showed that out of the more than 8,000 participants involved, those who walked briskly or jogged typically lived about 15 years longer than those who didn’t exercise.

If living longer isn’t a selling point for you, perhaps the fact that running reduces risk of heart disease, helps to resolve high blood pressure issues, lowers your chances of cancer and improving your bones, muscles and joints will motivate you.

• Date Taken: 08.14.2014
• Date Posted: 08.15.2014 08:26
• Story ID: 139429
• Location: JACKSONVILLE, NC, US