Studies show that exercise may actually make you younger at a cellular level.
As you probably know by now, I am a big proponent of regular exercise. Not only do I think its important to take care of your body, but the mental benefits of a regular exercise program have also been proven.
A new study in Preventative Medicine however, found that people who exercise often have biological aging markers that can appear up to nine years younger than those who lead a more sedentary lifestyle.
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The research looked at the telomeres of 6,000 adults who were taking part in a survey by the CDC over a span of multiple years. Telomeres are the protein caps on the ends of human chromosomes, and are basically used as markers for age and health overall. When a cell replicates, a bit of telomere is used up, so over time the telomeres get shorter. People with shorter telomeres are more likely to die sooner, or develop chronic diseases, but its also a good way to tell how old a cell is, biologically speaking.
The study found that people who exercised often had telomeres with significant length gains on those that lead a sedentary lifestyle. High levels of exercise (30-40 minutes of cardio five times per week) seemed to show great benefits over both moderate, and low levels.
So basically the moral of the story is, not only will regular fitness help you look and feel better, but it may actually make you more youthful overall.
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