The Benefits of Exercise and a Correctly Formed Diet for Promoting Longevity

Longevity is a socio-biological phenomenon characterized by the increase of human lifetime. Longevity is usually achieved by healthy lifestyle and favourable environmental conditions. Besides, the lifespan depends on innate properties, the so-called “Methuselah gene” named after the Biblical character, who died at the age of more than 900 years. However, most of the longevity factors depend on the person’s lifestyle. Such factors are hygiene, diet, food quality, volume of physical activity and social environment. Considering these factors, one can design a program for living a long and healthy life.

A complete program of achieving longevity must include several aspects, such as physical exercises and a proper diet. The long-term plan must take into account age-specific features. Each age category has its own peculiarities and needs. Thus, the program must be divided into parts, corresponding to the age, and include adequate exercises and diet.

The program must start from the age of 16-18 years, since this is the age one begins a conscious life. At this time a person becomes responsible for his or her life and its planning. Therefore, the age levels division should be done from 16 to 100 (approximately) years. Physical exercises for each level are divided into two groups: aerobic and anaerobic ones. Aerobic exercises are characterized by low intensity, they allow to produce the energy with the help of oxygen. Anaerobic energy production is made through the chemical decay of substances within the muscles. Also, nutritional recommendations are given for each period.

16-25 years

a) Aerobic exercises

Aerobic exercises at the age of 16-25 years must be focused on the strengthening of skeletal muscles. At this level the construction of the body is in the process, and muscle mass is being formed. A good training for skeletal muscles development is a fitball. The fitball is made of elastic gum. It is very a simple, but very effective exercising technique. One may use it for training or just for sitting on it. Even in the case of just sitting, the back, neck and abdominal muscles are involved.

b) Anaerobic exercises

As indicated above, at this time, construction of the body systems still goes on. Therefore, anaerobic exercises must comprise elements of bodybuilding, powerlifting, sprint running, and sports with alternation of short periods of high load with short periods of low load (e.g. martial arts). Such training increases the amount of muscle mass and the density of bone tissue, prevents diabetes, and helps to clear the skin and to cleanse the body of toxins.

c) Diet

A person of 16-25 years does not need any strict diet. The organism is young and strong, it regulates itself in the cases of misbalance. A rigid diet at this age is not just useless, but can cause serious harm or even provoke a hormonal failure.

25-40 years

a) Aerobic exercises

The age of 25-40 years is a period of active work. At this time, the person is most socially active, forming a family, building career, etc. Very often these activities are connected with serious stresses and physical strain. Thus, the main accent of aerobic exercises must be on respiratory muscles and blood circulation. These exercises influence not only the physical state, but the mental one as well. They decrease the stress levels and reduce the risk of depression. Such exercises include long-distance running at an average pace, sports games with constant smooth movement (e.g. tennis), etc.

b) Anaerobic exercises

At the period of active career and family life building, there is often not enough time for sports activities. Under such conditions, anaerobic exercises may help, as they do not require much time. These exercises are especially valuable for people having sedentary jobs. They contribute to weight controlling effectively by burning the fat. Such exercises deal with dumbbells, power training devices, pulling up on a bar, push-ups on the floor, etc.

c) Diet

After 25 years, it is time to think of the nutritional style. Fat roasted meat should be replaced with dietary chicken meat or fish. Obligatory items of the menu must be fruit and vegetables. It is preferable to avoid fast food, semi-finished products. The most important point is eating regularly, not in a hurry.

40-60 years

a) Aerobic exercises.

40-60 years is the riskiest age concerning heart diseases and blood pressure. For the prevention of these problems, selected aerobic exercises must have low physical load, but their main effect must be based on regularity. Regular light exercises would bring more benefits to the heart and blood pressure than irregular hard training.

b) Anaerobic exercises.

The weight controlling and metabolism stabilization are main tasks of anaerobic exercises at the age of 40-60 years. The duration of exercises and their load should gradually decrease, and the break periods between the exercises should increase. If at the age of 30 one used 10 kilos dumbbells training for 1 hour 3 times a week, by the age of 50 this load may decrease to 5 kilos twice a week. Of course, the figures are absolutely theoretical, since in real life they depend on many individual factors. However, general principle of the gradual load decrease remains.

c) Diet.

Since the age of 40, yogurts, sour milk, cheese and other dairy products must become one’s best friends on the dining table. Good sources of valuable micro elements are porridge and rice. Various types of seafood are an important contributor to longevity, and especially significant they become after 40 years.

60+ years.

a) Exercises

At the age of more than 60, exercises, both aerobic and anaerobic, must be very gentle. Overloading of any of the body parts may become critical, since the organism is already worn out. The best training at this age is walking, jogging, slow swimming, etc. Extreme loads must be excluded, as they can result in physical harm.

b) Diet

It is preferable to refuse buns, donuts, and other bread products. Also, definitely negative attitude must be towards alcohol, eggs, and confectionery products. Choosing meat, cheese or yogurt, an aged person should pay attention to the low-fat options. Instead of butter and mayonnaise, it is better to use vegetable oil. Other useful products at the age above 60 years are broccoli, walnuts, beets and fish.

In conclusion, aging is an inevitable attribute of human life. However, it is possible to make this process smooth and trouble-free. A well-balanced system of physical exercises and a properly constituted diet promote longevity and keep a person strong, healthy and cheerful throughout the whole life. This is a great research paper examples about diet and active life

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