Unless you're a child, you're probably not looking for more candles on your birthday cake.  And yet each of us is getting older by the second.  There's no need to panic!  Recent studies have shed a lot of light -and hope- on the subject of aging.  Medical experts have proven something amazing.  That much of the physical and mental decline associated with aging is not inevitable.  You can, in fact, look and feel 30 years younger than your age simply by being active! 

Working out for thirty minutes or more at least five days a week is ideal.  But even moderate amounts of exercise done regularly can help you look and feel younger.  Being active keeps you healthy and young from the inside out  – at the cellular level.  If you want to avoid frailty, disease and the loss of your independence, exercising is for you.  An active lifestyle will improve your brain, heart, lungs, muscles and immune system.

Top 15 Ways That Regular Exercise Keeps You Young

1. Slows down cellular aging.
2. Reduces the risk of disease and illness.
3. Improves your heart and lung capacity. Your lungs and the tissues around them become stronger.  Your heart also becomes stronger and better able to pump blood throughout your body. Exercise lowers blood pressure and boosts blood vessel flexibility.  This helps to protect you from the number one killer of men and women which is heart disease.
4. Boosts energy efficiency.
5. Improves bone density and helps to prevent Osteoporosis.
6. Increases blood oxygen circulation and helps to get nutrients to all of your organs.
7. Improves your posture and flexibility.
8. Strengthens your muscles off-setting the loss of muscle strength and muscle mass associated with aging. Improves your joint function. This makes everyday tasks easier and allows you to remain independent longer.
9. Lowers stress, anxiety and depression -all of which increase the negative effects of aging.
10. Enhances your mood and vitality. Endorphins and dopamine are released, and your confidence increases.
11. Refines your skin.  More oxygen is supplied to your skin, and toxins are removed from clogged pores through sweat.  The result is softer, more supple and glowing skin. Exercise may even reverse skin aging.
12. Improves your balance and reflexes, and reduces the risk of falls and fractures.
13. Boosts brain health for better cognition and memory, and lowers your risk of Alzheimer’s.
14. Improves your metabolism, which slows down as you age, so you can burn more calories and maintain a healthy weight.
15. Improves your sleep. You are able to fall asleep quicker and to enjoy better quality sleep after exercise.  This allows all the systems in your body to operate optimally.

The Takeaway

Science demonstrates what we always suspected.  The best way to counter aging is to stay active.  Would you like to have the lungs, heart and muscles of a 40-year-old when you’re in your 70’s?  You can enjoy a healthier body and brain for longer if you exercise regularly.  If you want to avoid illness, frailty and the loss of your independence, an active lifestyle is for you.  The sooner you start and the more consistent you are the better.  Your lifestyle will largely dictate your fate so why not make it great?

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Medicalnewstoday.com;  health.com;  time.com;  nytimes.com;  wellspring.edu;  healthyhumanlife.com