Study finds new longevity movement? May reduce cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer risk

When it comes to sports, you can think of health. But Xiaojiu wants to say that many people only know one of them, but do not know the other.

The public is widely known for aerobic exercise such as walking and jogging. In fact, there is another type of exercise that is also very suitable for the elderly.

Let's talk about today's protagonist: resistance exercise.

1. Research finds new longevity movement?

A study recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that doing resistance exercise can lead to healthier lives and lower rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The researchers assessed the risk by looking at 16 studies, which ranged in age from 18 to 97.8 years, with numbers ranging from 3,809 to 479,856, with a longest follow-up of 25.2 years.

After removing the influencing factors such as age, body mass index, smoking and drinking status, eating habits, and various types of exercise, it was found that compared with people who did not do resistance exercise every week, the all-cause mortality of the participants who did it every week was reduced by 15%, and the heart rate was reduced by 15%. Associated with a 17% lower risk of vascular disease, a 12% lower risk of cancer, and a 17% lower risk of diabetes .

And doing resistance exercise is not always better, the study found:

40 minutes of resistance exercise per week had the greatest reduction in all-cause mortality

30 minutes are most beneficial for cancer risk reduction

60 minutes to minimize cardiovascular and diabetes risk

However, if more than 3 hours per week increases the risk of death by 10%.

In addition, it should be noted that this does not mean that just doing resistance exercise is enough for a week. Aerobic exercise should also be done, with resistance combined with aerobic exercise to promote health.

2. Why is resistance exercise friendly to the elderly?

When many people hear words such as fitness and muscle building, they often think that this is an exercise for young people, and the elderly do not need to lose fat and increase muscle.

In fact, the elderly will face the problem of decreasing muscle content in the body as they get older . Studies have found that the peak number of muscle fibers in the body is around the age of 30. After the age of 30, it will decrease at a rate of 1-3% per year, and the rate will increase at the age of 60 , and muscle mass, strength and explosiveness will also be lost. Therefore, the elderly Muscle strength is also required.

Resistance exercise, also known as strength exercise, is a kind of exercise actively carried out by human skeletal muscles under the condition of overcoming external resistance. , sandbag exercise, etc.

Resistance exercise has many advantages and can enhance muscle strength . Adults over the age of 50 choose exercises with fewer repetitions and moderate to high-intensity loads to enhance muscle strength. It can increase anabolism, testosterone, insulin-like growth factor and growth hormone levels, and can help the body repair damaged muscle fibers. It also helps skeletal muscle to synthesize and secrete myokine , which can circulate in the body through blood, act on the heart, kidneys and other organs, and help to regulate the body's metabolism.

Recently, the American Cancer Society released the 3rd edition of the "Guidelines for Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Survivors", which guides cancer patients on how to prolong life by modifying factors such as diet and physical activity. Among them, it is recommended to perform strength training or resistance exercise at least 2 days a week when meeting safe activities.

Three or four kinds of resistance training, you can practice at home

The following 4 exercises are recommended , which can be performed at home. However, the training should pay attention to the standard of movement, and the training intensity should be within one's capacity.

1. Plank support

When lying prone, open your hands shoulder-width apart and support your elbows on the ground, keeping your upper arms at right angles to your torso. Naturally straighten your neck, keep your chest straight, and look at the front and bottom, keep your head, shoulders, hips, and lower limbs at the same level, tighten your abdominal muscles and pelvic floor muscles, and breathe naturally.

2. Glute bridge

Lie on your back on the ground, bend your knees at 90 degrees, force your heels to tap the ground, contract your hamstrings and buttocks, raise your buttocks as high as possible, hold the action at the highest point of your buttocks for 3 seconds, and then slowly return to the original position. You can perform 3 sets of 10 reps each time.

Image source network

3. Push-ups

Hands are naturally shoulder-width apart and keep your abs tight. Before doing push-ups, pay attention to the details of adducting the elbows, and it is recommended to bend the elbows properly when the movement reaches the highest point.

4. Squat

Keep your head up high and your legs shoulder-width apart. Parallel legs keep your knees and toes in the same direction as you squat. Squat down slowly until the angle between your thighs is about 70-80 degrees, and then stand up straight with your thighs.

Fourth, no conditions? try a brisk walk

If you are not in good health or can't do resistance training, you can practice brisk walking more.

Song Yuetao , director of the Research Office of Geriatric Health and Medical Care at Beijing Geriatrics Hospital , pointed out that walking speed can predict the length of life, which makes some sense. The heart needs to provide strong support when walking, and if you walk faster, it means better cardiopulmonary function.

It is also pointed out that walking briskly, mobilizing most of the muscle groups in the body to participate , can increase the strength of the muscles and ligaments of the lower limbs, keep the joints flexible, accelerate the blood circulation of the limbs and internal organs, and help improve the aerobic capacity of the human body.

How long does the pace and step count last? Zhu Xinpu, deputy chief physician of the Department of Neurology of the Fourth People's Hospital of Shanghai, believes that the speed of brisk walking is generally 90 to 130 steps per minute for men and 80 to 120 steps per minute for women.

A 2020 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that normal people walk 8,000-12,000 steps per day . People who are sedentary will benefit significantly by increasing from 2,000 to 4,000 steps per day. Walking 8,000 steps per day in people with chronic diseases can significantly reduce cardiovascular incidence and cancer mortality.

The "Dietary Nutrition Guidelines for Chinese Residents" recommends walking 6,000 steps a day. Of course, the most important thing is to do what you can according to your actual situation.

Life lies in exercise, no matter what age group, maintaining appropriate resistance exercise or brisk walking exercise can make the body healthier and increase the chance of prolonging life.

references:

[1] "There are many benefits of resistance training for the elderly". Twelve Wards of the Third Hospital of the City. 2019-11-22

[2] "Walking speed can predict the length of life? Follow this and live longer...". Popular Science China. 2022-02-24

[3] "Hurry up! A study of 470,000 people found that if you keep walking briskly every day, you will live an average of 15 years longer! 》. Health Times. 2021-11-15

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