How to Literally Turn Back Time - The REAL Fountain of Youth
Ever wish you could turn back the clock and actually reverse the aging process? Well, there's a man who did just that. This man was over 65 years old. This man began strength training. And, this man literally reversed the "genetic fingerprint" of his muscle tissue, returning it to a state similar to that of young adults. Oh yeah, and 24 other "this man"'s over age 65 did the exact same thing. And we're not talking about a collection of 25 genetic freaks here. These were 25 healthy seniors (average age of 70) that participated in a study conducted by American and Canadian researchers.
For six months, the seniors performed resistance training just twice a week. Each training session lasted for one hour and consisted of 30 muscle contractions of each targeted muscle group. Prior to beginning the program, the researchers examined the genes and muscle tissue of all the participants. Everything looked normal and as it should in a healthy elderly adult. However, at the end of the six month training period, scientists were quite surprised at what they found:
"We were fairly surprised by the results of the study," co-author Simon Melov of the Buck Institute for Age Research in California, said in a prepared statement. "We expected to see gene expressions that stayed fairly steady in the older adults. The fact that their 'genetic fingerprints' so dramatically reversed course gives credence to the value of exercise, not only as a means of improving health, but of reversing the aging process itself, which is an additional incentive to exercise as you get older."
With just six months of training twice a week, these formerly average old-timers had reversed their muscle tissue's gene makeup to levels similar to that of young whipper-snappers, ages 20-35! Not only that, the workout program boosted their overall strength by an average of 50 percent!
So, what does all this mean? You are never too old or too late to start working out. Granted, anyone, regardless of age, should check with their doctor prior to beginning any workout program. Then, once you get the green light, you can train with that much more determination, knowing that you are literally making your body younger and healthier. As if there weren't already enough reasons why working out and resistance training were good for you, this one may take the cake!
So, get off your butt, no matter how old it is, and start pumping some iron gramps!
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Comments
I love resistance training, it's a part of my regular fitness routine.
Something else that I do (each day) is the "5 Rites". They are 5 exercises that are similar to yoga, but are not simply yoga. They are done in sequence for a certain number of times, and their purpose is to reset your energy vortexes (chakras) back to spinning at the rate of a healthy 25 year old. Sound crazy? All I can say is that I feel great, and there are numerous people who claim to have had amazing health changes from doing them. This is what I call "the fountain of youth". :)
Thanks for sharing this fascinating study with the Carnival of Healing! The carnival will be up at my blog shortly.
Warmly,
Hueina
Intensive Care for the Nurturer's Soul