It is not at all difficult to keep yourself young into old age with sport and exercise. Studies show that this works particularly well with some sports. But which ones are they? The answer surprises! If you do sports, you stay fit and healthy for longer – that’s a well-known fact. But in some sports, studies have observed a real rejuvenation effect among athletes – these three lead the ranking of sports that keep young.
These 3 Sports Keep You Young!
Yoga
A 2015 study of breast cancer survivors showed that a program of yoga and relaxation exercises had a rejuvenating effect on the body’s cells. 271 subjects took part in a 90-minute yoga and meditation course every week for two months and also did 45 minutes of relaxation exercises every day. Blood samples were taken from all participants at the beginning and end of the study period. Using these samples, the scientists analyzed the length of the so-called telomeres – structures at the end of the chromosomes whose task it is to protect the cell from damage. With each cell division, the telomeres shorten and their protective effect decreases – until the cell is no longer protected and dies. The shorter the telomeres, the further the cell aging has progressed. The blood tests showed that after the two months had elapsed, the subjects had longer telomeres than before – their cells had rejuvenated. This effect was not seen in the control group.
Tai Chi
In 2016, Canadian scientists examined how tai chi affects symptoms, quality of life, mobility and mental health in elderly patients with breast cancer, osteoarthritis, heart failure and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). To do this, they evaluated 21 studies. The subjects were in their mid-fifties to early seventies and took part in two to three Tai Chi training sessions per week for an average of twelve weeks, most of which lasted 60 minutes.
Walking
In a study published in 2012, US scientists found that walking briskly for two and a half hours a week extends life by an average of 3.4 years – for people of a healthy weight, the additional lifespan can be as much as seven years. And even those who don’t manage to do quite as much benefit: Because just 75 minutes of brisk walking a week increases the expected service life by almost two years. The scientists had evaluated the data of more than 600,000 men and women. The right pace is reached when you start sweating while walking, but you can still have a good conversation. These studies show that even (and especially) “gentle” sports can do a lot to keep the body young and fit for as long as possible – and at the same time prevent numerous diseases. Studies also show that with all these types of sports, it is always worthwhile to start even for those who don’t like sports – no matter what age they are.