- Business Insider has spoken to many centenarians of what they think helped them to live after 100.
- Many stayed in good shape without going to the gymnasium.
- Building movement in everyday life is one of their best advice.
If you hate you to train but you want the previous advantages of the exercise, you may find reassuring that many centenaries Business Insider have spoken to never set foot in a gymnasium.
To a certain extent, the type of exercise you do seems to have less importance than the frequency you do. Nathan K. Lebractor, a physiologist who studies healthy aging, previously told Bi that people should do an exercise they like, because they are more likely to continue.
Deborah Szekely, 102, who runs a ranch in Baja California, Mexico, agrees. “What matters is that you push yourself enough to feel it, increase your heart rate and sweat. If you really become Huffy Puffy, you do a good job,” she told Bi.
And it is never too late to be active. A study in 2023 by researchers from Duke Kunshan University, in China, noted that participants over 80 years old who were physically active were more likely to live longer than those who were inactive – even if they started later in life.
Here’s how the centenarians who talked to Bi said they had stayed in shape.
Deborah Szekely is 102 years old and works in his health station, Rancho La Puerta. Rancho La Puerta
1) Walk
As people age, it can become more difficult to do certain types of exercises – but certain centenarians can continue to walk. Louise Jean Signore, 112, the oldest second in New York, has stopped swimming, cycling, dancing online and playing bowls when her health has deteriorated, but she is still trying to do His steps, whether outside or in his corridor.
Szekely also walks at least one mile per day in local parks, while Pearl Taylor, who lives in Ohio and 104, walks in his local Walmart for two hours per weekend.
Walking is a low intensity exercise but still has many health benefits. A review in 2023 of studies published in the Revue Geroscience revealed that walking seemed to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cognitive disorders and dementia, while improving mental well-being, sleep and the longevity.
2) Cycle instead of driving
Martin McEvilly, who was the oldest man in Ireland when he died at the age of 108 last October, never owned a car. Instead, his bike was his main transport until the age of 99. Even once he has stopped cycling everywhere, he continued to use a stationary exercise bike until the age of 105.
A review in 2023 studies published in the journal Frontiers In Sports and Active Living found a link between cycling regularly and better mental well-being, a lower risk of dying of any cause, and a lower risk of developing diseases cardiovascular and type 2 diabetes.
3) Social exercise
Katie Macrae celebrating her 106th birthday. Bolton Clarke
Katie Macrae, 107, who lives in Queensland, Australia, regularly plays bowls with her colleagues residents of the care house. Meanwhile, Janet Gibbs, 103, played golf until the age of 86.
In addition to the physical advantages, the social aspect of the exercise could also help us live longer. Professor Rose Anne Kenny, President of the Trinity College Medical Gerontology Dublin and Head of the Irish longitudinal study on aging, argues that socialization is more important for longevity than the exercise or a healthy diet.
4) Build exercise in your work or hobby
Many centenarians have done difficult physical work, such as McEvilly who worked on his family farm. Its days were devoted to cutting the lawn for fuel, cutting plants, collecting water and gathering foam to use animal bedding.
The average American worker is likely to spend half of their day sit, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, but even if you have a mainly sedentary job, you can build in your day.
The simple fact of doing 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day can compensate for the impacts to sit all day, revealed a study in 2023 published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. This includes making chores, walking quickly and gardening – to which Macrae attributes its longevity.
Bi previously reported how some of the oldest people in the world eat to live at 100.
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