Scientific literature seems unanimous in highlighting that people who exercise regularly effectively lengthen their lifespan, earning additional years of life.

Only part of our life expectancy is predefined and ‘written’ in our genes. One of the main ways that science points out to act on our ageing process, getting old healthy and fit (‘healthy longevity’) is committing to a physical exercise routine.

When we talk about physical exercise being extraordinarily effective in maintaining a healthy body and helping us to actually live longer, we’re talking about both aerobic and anaerobic activities. If exercise sessions aren’t just a one-off but are continued over time in a systematic and structured way, the body will undergo positive changes in the long term.

Since its foundation, Technogym’s mission has been that to improve people’s quality of life. In 1993, Technogym’s founder Alessandri developed the ground-breaking holistic concept of wellness, which unifies regular physical exercise, balanced and healthy nutrition and a positive mental approach.

This new model has transformed the way people approach fitness and has impacted countless lives around the world. It envisages a constructive modification of habits in all aspects of life, for drastic health improvement. As a matter of fact, wellness can be seen as a key tool for “treating healthy people”, i.e., preventing chronic silent inflammation and oxidative stress linked to the excessive production of free radicals, ultimately guaranteeing people not only a long life, but a healthy longevity.

A recent study by the American Society for Nutrition on 720,000 people detected that a healthy lifestyle has a massive impact on the lengthening of life expectancy. Namely, the study highlights 8 different positive habits that add years to one’s life, all of which are part of Technogym’s wellness: avoiding unhealthy habits (smoking, drugs, binge drinking), having a positive mental attitude and avoiding stress, eating balanced and nutrient foods and avoiding processed ones, sleeping well and enough.

Nevertheless, regular exercise was ranked first by experts as the habit that helps the most to improve health. Being active and exercising on a regular basis decreases the risk of death from health-related causes by 46%. The more positive habits are included in one’s lifestyle, the more years of life are gained, but exercise remains on top of the list in terms of effectiveness.

During a recent TV talk, 100-year-old American doctor John Scharffenberg – physician, nutritionist and Professor of Nutrition, graduate of Harvard University’s School of Public Health – states that people suffering from specific health condition or with unhealthy habits who also exercise regularly will outlive healthier people who don’t exercise. He ultimately points out that for every hour of physical exercise, up to 3 hours of life are gained.

This comes from data interpretation of a landmark epidemiological study conducted on 17,000 Harvard alumni published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1986, indicating that this information has been well known within the medical community for many years.

The Harvard Alumni Study suggests that people who exercise regularly can gain over 2 hours of life expectancy for each hour of exercise. Over the course of a lifetime, that adds about 2 extra years. That means that if someone exercises from 2 to 3 hours per week for 40 years, they’ll gain 2 whole years of life.

Several studies within scientific literature point out the importance of physical exercise for lengthening one’s life span. Two of the most important longitudinal studies launched 45 years ago in the USA – Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study – evidence that adhering to the minimum dose of physical activity recommended by international guidelines (150 to 300 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week) increases life expectancy by 21%. In addition to that, those who exercise 2 to 4 times a week increase their expectation by 31%.

Additionally, an extensive literature review titled ‘Does Physical Activity Increase Life Expectancy? A Review of Literature’ – published in the Journal of Aging Research – highlights how most authoritative studies ensure that physically active subjects’ life expectancy is up to 7 years longer than that of sedentary ones.

Likewise, research published in the PLOS Medicine highlights that being active and maintaining a healthy weight boosts longevity by more than 7 years. Even overweight or obese people who engage in leisure-time physical activity can extend their lives by as much as 4 years, compared with similar-weight people who do no such activity.

–Article brought to you by TechnoGym