Longevity science

It’s inevitable: As you get older, you slow down. A 40-year-old runs more slowly than a 20-year-old. A 70-year-old can’t be expected to keep up with a 50-year-old on a bike or a hike. It’s only natural.

Well, no, it’s not.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - America's aging population is posing special challenges, fitness experts say, because it is difficult to design effective workout routines for people with such a wide range of abilities.

Physical activity can reduce the risk of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and osteoporosis...

When the elderly can't exercise, stints on a vibrating platform may help older adults become slightly stronger, faster and more agile, according to a small short-term study.

“Exercise can partially reverse the effects of the aging process ... a minimum quantity and quality of exercise decreases the risk of death, prevents development of certain cancers, lowers the risk of osteoporosis, and increases longevity.” (Gremeaux V et al. 2012)

We all know that you need to exercise if you want to develop your muscles. As it turns out, however, exercise also makes lab-grown muscle implants more effective when introduced to the body.

There is a large population that take 'statin drugs' to lower cholesterol.

These drugs are very effective, but can result in muscle pain and fatigue. Why? The drugs deplete the body's natural reserves of CoEnzyme Q10, which is involved in energy production at the cellular level.

Fortunately, supplementing with the enzyme can help restore the blood levels and counterract the side effects. But few doctors mention this when they prescribe the drugs.

The aches and pains people suffer after working out more than usual can be relieved just as well by exercise as by massage, according to a new study.

"It's a common belief that massage is better, but it isn't better. Massage and exercise had the same benefits," said Lars Andersen, the lead author of the study and a professor at the National Research Center for the Working Environment in Copenhagen.

Want to cut the length of your workout while maintaining or even increasing the benefits? Try interval training, a type of cardiovascular workout in which you alternate bursts of peppier exercise with slower-paced recovery periods.

Intervals make you work more efficiently: Your overall intensity is greater, so the length of your workout can be cut by about 20 percent. Plus, a growing body of evidence suggests that this approach yields health benefits comparable or superior to traditional exercise.

Many of us sit at a desk for extended periods each day – and that has doctors worried. Researchers are beginning to understand the associated health risks triggered by sitting for long durations, and suggest that people need to stand up, walk, and generally be more active throughout their day.

One way to get more exercise might be to try out the Active Desk, which combines a recumbent exercise bike with a work desk, allowing you to leisurely pedal off the pounds throughout the day.

There are quite a few wearable sensors designed to provide some high tech help getting fit, such as larklife and Fitbit. But a team of designers from Salt Lake City in the U.S. is convinced there’s room for their Amiigo, a fitness bracelet project currently going the crowdfunding route. Considering how fast the project has attracted support it seems that, yes, there is room for another player in this niche.

Women who walk at least three hours every week are less likely to suffer a stroke than women who walk less or not at all, according to new research from Spain.

"The message for the general population remains similar: regularly engaging in moderate recreational activity is good for your health," lead author José María Huerta of the Murcia Regional Health Authority in Spain told Reuters Health.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sticking to a fitness routine is not always easy, but holiday feasting, drinking and family can make it even harder.‘Tis the season, experts say, to bend your fitness routine so it...

How much life do you get from exercise?

To sum it up, the more you do it, the longer you live. For example, 75 minutes of brisk walking per week equates to an extra 1.8 years of life expectancy as opposed to staying sedentary. Increase that to 150–299 minutes of brisk walking per week and the gain in life expectancy goes up to 3.4 years. Make it 450 minutes per week and the estimated life expectancy jumps by 4.5 years.

The study also found that people whose weight is above the recommended level still benefit from physical activity .

A team of Swiss researchers has discovered that raising the levels of the hormone erythropoietin (Epo) in the brains of mice resulted in the rodents being more motivated to exercise.

The discovery provides the possibility of developing a pill that can motivate people to want to exercise.