Lifelong Aerobic Exercise Is Linked To Better Ageing

There are many reasons to start running in autumn – the cooler temperatures and lower humidity are ideal conditions, for starters.

But if you need a bit more motivation, this might help: new research suggests that decades of aerobic activity could keep us more resilient in our old age.

The study, published in GeroScience, took a look at what happened to people’s bodies after years of cycling, swimming, and jogging.

As it turns out, these activities seemed to boost their “vitality capacity” as they aged.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes intrinsic capacity as “the composite of all the physical and mental capacities that an individual can draw on at any point in time”.

Vitality capacity, meanwhile, is the “body’s physiological reserve”, which determines how much intrinsic capability a person has.

In short, the higher your vitality capacity is in your later years, the more functional and resilient you may be.

Vitality capacity measures three broad functions – energy and metabolism, neuromuscular function, and immune and stress response functions. In this research, scientists assessed vitality capacity across 12 biomarkers.

Researchers compared people who had done some form of aerobic activity at least three times a week for 30 years with those who were mostly sedentary.

Data suggested that those who were more active had a stronger vitality capacity, especially in their immune and stress responses.

More active adults also had better resting blood oxygen levels and a higher heart rate variability.

Heart rate variability (HRV), which has been linked to “exceptional longevity”, refers to the variation of time your heart takes between beats. It is usually measured in milliseconds and requires special equipment to be tracked.

And while experts still have questions about the “accuracy, reliability and overall usefulness of tracking HRV”, this paper is just one of many to link more active lifestyles to a happier, healthier older age.

Some aerobic exercises to consider include:

• Jogging or fast walking,
• Swimming,
• Cycling,
• Dancing,
• Skipping,
• Rowing,
• Sports like football, tennis, or basketball,
• Walking up the stairs,
• Rollerblading,
• Water aerobics.