The Combination of Aerobic Exercise & Weightlifting Linked to Lower Risks of Early Death

Sure you know exercise is a vital part of all of us. Our bodies are made to move!

But did you know exercise can add more years to your life? A regular weight-training exercise regime has been found to correlate with a lower risk of death from any cause in older adults. So what exactly is this training program?

Aerobic Exercise and Weightlifting Can Stave Off All-cause Mortality

“Successful Aging” Is One That Is Modifiable

Aging is one of the most prevalent terms among people who consider health and lifespan as essential factors in their life. This term has a comparable influence on scientific research, as more and more studies are being conducted to investigate the possibility of prolonging life.

By definition, aging is the natural and progressive deterioration of the body’s functions resulting from the biological changes at the cellular and molecular level, known as the aging hallmarks. Such a decline leads to the dysfunction of various body systems and an increased susceptibility to age-related diseases like cancer.

While scientists are looking into the potential of keeping the hallmarks of aging at bay, other studies are collecting evidence for whether there are different ways we can extend our life.

Eventually, despite being widely defined as a “natural” and “inevitable” process, aging is more of a thing that people want to be “modifiable.”

Indeed, scientific intervention in the aging process is not a new concept. However, we’re not referring to daily habits like maintaining a good diet or avoiding stress. Instead, genuine aging research relates to those pharmaceuticals that holistically change the human body from the inside out, like the senolytic compound or peptide therapy.

Does Exercise Increase Life Expectancy?

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Still, while these scientific outcomes remain experimental and need further clinical investigation until we can guarantee their use on humans, it’s better to put our faith in the conventional methods of health maintenance – physical activity or exercise.

You may notice this as people keep saying, “sit less, move move” for better cardiovascular health and longer life. Well, they have a clue.

A body of research on “exercise and aging” has shown that the key to achieving longevity is just around the corner: getting rid of our past sedentary habits and increasing our engagement in physical activity.

A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that regular aerobic exercise and weightlifting are linked to a lower risk of all-cause mortality. In addition, the study shows that while each type of training can significantly extend our life, combining aerobic exercise and weightlifting presents the most remarkable effects.

In general, lifting weights without engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA exercise) is linked to a 9-22% lower risk of death. Exercise frequency is a crucial element. For example, lifting weights once or twice a week can reduce the risk by 14%.

Similarly, among those who don’t exercise with weights, aerobic MVPA exercise is linked to a 24-34% decreased chance of mortality from any cause compared with those who don’t do either MVPA exercise or weightlifting.

But, individuals who report engaging in both forms of exercise have the lowest mortality rate. For instance, the risk is 41-47% lower among people who exercise with weights once or twice a week and meet the recommended MVPA exercise levels (75-150 minutes weekly).

Exercise at Any Intensity Should All Do the Job

When it comes to exercise, there is a widespread belief that the more intense it is, the better. We can’t deny this, as those who gain the most out of exercise spend the most time sweating at the gym, as a study from JAMA Internal Medicine suggests.

But is it still valid to prolong our life and reduce mortality risk? And, how do we characterize the intensity of a workout just to set the suitable stopwatch for us?

A moderately intense exercise causes you to break out in a light sweat and elevates your heart rate and breathing to a relatively high level. On the other hand, vigorous activity is challenging enough to raise your heart rate to extremely high levels.

Your heart rate matters the most. This measurement reflects how much work and effort you’ve put into your workout. In general, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) should elevate your heart rate to at least 50-70% of your maximum heart rate.

Below is the heart rate chart by age that an MVPA should target:

Age (years)	Target range (beats per minute)
20	100-140
25	98-137
30	95-133
35	93-130
40	90-126
45	88-123
50	85-119
55	83-116
60	80-112

Nevertheless, a British Medical Journal (BMJ) study found that you don’t have to exaggerate your workout effort. It’s because only a higher overall amount of physical activity, at any intensity, and less sedentary time are linked to lower mortality risk.

Surprisingly, the study shows that only 24 minutes of MVPA per day results in the most significant risk reductions, whereas spending 9.5 or more hours per day sedentary results in a significantly increased risk of death.

Bottom Line: It’s Never Too Late to Exercise

So now you know the intensity is no longer a problem that puts you off practice. But, another barrier keeps you from engaging in serious exercise – your past activity levels.

You’ve always been sedentary most of your waking hours, and now you think starting to hit the gym is too late. Telling you what: it’s never too late to exercise as you can increase your lifespan regardless of your past activity levels.

Another study by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that nearly one in two deaths related to inactivity (46%) are prevented just by raising and maintaining physical activity levels as per public health recommendations (75-150 minutes of MVPA weekly).

What’s your excuse for not getting up and going to the gym now?

Unless you refuse to embrace a “successful” aging process that is “modifiable,” you’d better start to work on your body again.

Yet, exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous, and you don’t need to go for extra reps of weightlifting. It can be as easy as enrolling in an individual weight loss program!

At Yunique Medical, we offer various individualized programs for medical weight loss that have helped thousands of people have better health and a better quality of life.

Stop struggling with the exercises that don’t work or those reps that are too intense for you. Yes, aerobic exercise and weightlifting have been shown to help you live longer. Still, a customized exercise program can even do more than that – it helps you feel like you again.

Yunique Medical provides FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE for optimized health and performance. We offer customized, scientifically advanced treatments to create a new state of human thriving. Why be ordinary when you can be optimal?

HUMAN 2.0 begins here!

Contact us to schedule your FREE consultation at one of our three locations in Florida – Ocala, Fruitland Park (The Villages), and Daytona.

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