Common fears about growing older are that people will not be able to move at the same pace that they once did and that they won’t recover from injuries as they used to. But as we celebrate our 9th birthday on 15 March (whoa, the years flew by so quickly), we are reminded that living a healthy life leaves us feeling energised.
According to Mayo Clinic, you can stay fit at any age and even slow your body’s biological clock by adding three activities to your lifestyle:
1. Endurance training
Marathon runners will tell you that endurance training is more of a mental workout than a physical one. Unlike HIIT and strength training, endurance workouts will test your ability to apply effort over a prolonged period. Take the opportunity for a change of scenery by joining an endurance sport like running, swimming, cycling or even dancing.
2. Strength training
We rave about strength training for flexibility but it’s true. In addition to helping you control blood-sugar levels, enhance mental health and heart health, strength training aids the body in reducing muscle pain and inflammation.
3. Interval Training
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is the fitness trend that never left. Defined as a routine of short vigorous training, paired with active rest (where you decrease your pace, instead of relaxing), HIIT has been found to improve the body’s VO2max. This is a measurement used to calculate how much oxygen your body can use and by increasing the volume of oxygen you can consume, you can improve digestion, experience mental clarity, metabolise fats and carbohydrates, breathe better, reduce stress, lose weight and improve sleep.
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