Research led by I-Min Lee, professor in the Department of Epidemiology, found that older women who walked at least 4,400 steps each day had greater longevity than those who walked less. A separate study linked regular walking to improved mental health.
A lifetime of walking at a brisk pace could reduce your biological age by 16 years by the time you reach midlife, according to news headlines based on a recent study from the University of Leicester. Walking speed is widely considered to be a good indicator of overall health.
Scientists say that a lifetime of frequent, brisk walks can make you feel and look 16 years younger when you reach midlife. Researchers at the University of Leicester, who studied the genes of 400,000 Britons, found a clear link between walking faster and a reduced biological age.
Endurance exercise–like running, swimming, or bicycling–and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) both slowed signs of aging compared to lifting weights–at least on the cellular level.
It can't reverse aging, per se, he cautions, but “there's clear evidence that exercise can activate the machinery necessary for DNA repair.” Of course, the sooner you begin and the longer you remain physically active, the better. But physical activity is important at every age.
Researchers found that people who performed high levels of physical activity had longer telomeres; in fact, biologically speaking, they were nine years younger than more sedentary people.
Running increases the production of human growth hormone—your body's natural youth serum. "This helps you produce new cells, which can make your skin look a lot more youthful," says Webb.
By strength training either by using resistance bands, weights or aerobic exercise, such as swimming, you can rebuild muscle and prevent bone loss. Taking care of your core and your spine has the added benefit of keeping your body and joints strong, and your taller posture will shave years off of your appearance.
Exercise
Building muscle mass through weight training exercises can help decrease the appearance of loose skin, especially if the loose skin is from weight loss. If excess fat distends the skin for a long time, the skin can lose some of its ability to shrink with weight loss.
Here's why. By increasing blood flow, exercise helps nourish skin cells and keep them vital. "Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to working cells throughout the body, including the skin," says Marmur.
Something as simple as a daily brisk walk can help you live a healthier life. For example, regular brisk walking can help you: Maintain a healthy weight and lose body fat. Prevent or manage various conditions, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer and type 2 diabetes.
Walking delays the onset of fine lines and wrinkles. It removes dead cells from the body and helps in the formation of Red Blood Corpuscles (RBCs). By improving blood circulation, walking prevents the growth of acne, pimples, and several other skin related issues.
Walking is one of the most evidence-backed strategies to improve health and longevity. A brisk pace might also help extend the lifespan of telomeres, a key marker of cellular health in DNA. A steady or fast pace of three miles an hour or more could add years to your life.
After 3-4 days of walking: you will notice the “better fit” or more room in your clothes! After 7 days of walking: real changes are happening! You have used body fat as energy (fat burning!) Muscles feel more toned!
Other benefits that a daily walking habit may provide as people age include reduced risk of dementia, stroke, and heart disease, and strengthened muscles and bones, according to other researchers cited in the Eat This, Not That!
This is called extrinsic aging. As a result, premature aging can set in long before it was expected. In other words, your biological clock is more advanced than your chronological clock. Controllable factors such as stress, smoking and sun exposure can all play a role in expediting extrinsic aging.
Exposure to light is a top cause of premature aging: Sun exposure causes many skin problems. Ultraviolet (UV) light and exposure to sunlight age your skin more quickly than it would age naturally. The result is called photoaging, and it's responsible for 90% of visible changes to your skin.
Research corelating youthfulness and exercise
A study published in 2009 showed that sustained physical training in young and middle-aged athletes was associated with higher telomerase activity, increased expression of telomere-stabilising proteins and therefore longer telomeres, compared to sedentary people (4).
Of the 596 genes, the researchers identified 179 associated with age and exercise that showed a remarkable reversal in their expression profile after six months of resistance training. This literally means that resistance training not only can slow down but also reverse the aging process at the genetic level.
"Aerobic exercise such as running, swimming or rowing raises metabolism during and after the activity, making it less likely that calories will be stored around the abdominal area, or anywhere else, as fat," Sutton says.
What is runner's face? If you haven't heard the term, you've likely seen it. It is the face of a lifelong runner with leathery, saggy skin and a gaunt appearance. It is the result of lots of sun exposure and little body fat.