Want to stay younger longer? Exercise can definitely help, but be sure you’re doing these two workouts. A new European study has found that this combination is far better at helping you stay young compared to others.
A study just published in the European Heart Journal set out to figure out which types of exercise help to prevent cellular aging.
Over six months, the researchers followed 124 participants and divided them into four groups. The first group was inactive, the second did resistance training. The third group did endurance training, and finally, group number four did high-intensity interval training. Each group engaged in their specific exercise for 45 minutes, three times a week.
What else did the researchers look at? Before the start of the study, researchers measured and analyzed the length of the participants telomeres.
What are telomeres?
Telomeres are the protective caps at the end of the chromosome. It’s crucial to keep telomeres strong and healthy because when they start to weaken, your cells become compromised and can deteriorate with age.
So, which workouts were best for preserving and strengthening telomeres?
Top 2 workouts to stay young
The secret to staying younger in the long run (no pun intended)? According to the study’s co-author, Christian Werner, M.D., “Resistance exercise should be complementary to endurance training, rather than a substitute.”
Why endurance and high-intensity interval training? In both of these groups, the protein (telomerase) which protects and strengthens the telomeres, increased two to three times. As a result, the telomeres lengthened.
When telomeres are strong and healthy, it helps prevent cellular aging. So, consider doing a mix of both endurance training (like running) and resistance exercise (like HIIT, weight lifting, or even yoga) for a youthful glow, inside and out.
