Will exercise make us live longer?

​I would say getting physically active is a good idea if you want to increase your life satisfaction not only at present but also as your age progresses.


 Obviously there are no guarantees when it comes to what the future will bring to us but as a way of preventing metabolic syndrome exercis and also nutrition are key factors.

 For those of you who don’t know what metabolic syndrome is; it’s when you tick some boxes for conditions that are mostly life style related.

 The list is as follows; high blood pressure, insulin resistant, fatty liver, high triglycerides and high levels of LDL cholesterol.

 If you don’t look after yourself metabolic syndrome is a very likely outcome. Let’s say your food consistes mainly of ultra processed foods, you drink too much alcohol and the combination of not moving enough this is what could be next for you.

 The worst thing of all is that once you have metabolic syndrome you are at a high risk not only for cardiovascular disease and stroke but sadly cancer as well.

 Worst of all you are also at a much higher risk of developing dementia. The really scary thing about dementia is that it can be neither prevented nor treated. Many people would actually rather take the heart attack or cancer than ending their lives with dementia.

 Getting physically active will most likely add to your longevity. You could add years orre even decades to your life by getting in shape and also by  trying to improve your food choices.

 The minimum exercise you can do is brisk walking or any other activity that you enjoy that will raise your heart rate.

 You could even have some benefits if you only take 30 minutes out of your day, this could even be in portions (exercise snacking).

 I do consider myself to be reasonably fit and I only spend two and a half hours to three hours on formal workouts. I do walk and cycle quite a lot and I have a physical job so that comes on top.

 Weight bearing exercises are really important especially as we get older and our muscle tissue wastes away. Without any intervention your life quality will decrease when everyday tasks such as getting up from seated becomes really difficult.

 You don’t need to do a lot 2-3 hours a week should be sufficient and it’s probably a good idea to take a bit more time cooking your meals from scratch rather that ultra processed foods and take aways.

 By:Abdi-Karim Berleen/Personal trainer in Loughton