Expand Your Health Span - if you are over 40, you need to get started.

We all want to live a long life. but wouldn't it be great to feel 60, when we are 80? It may not be something you think about everyday, but your lifestyle will play a siginificant role in your health span as you age. In my twenties, I thought only of exercise as a means to stay thin. Now it's about feeling great and being able to enjoy the gift of life and share it with others as long as possible.

My Mom has always been fit and an avid exerciser. But a back injury she incured simply from lifting things that were too heavy during her daily life, ended with a surgery and years of pain. As a retriee, she can't do all of the things she wants to do, like bend down and work in her garden for hours. Her day always ends with a heating pad on her back. I think about how much I don't want to be limited as I grow old. I want to keep my mind and body working well for as long as possible.

Putting together a training plan with a focus on the specific support you will need as you age, can help you achieve this. Balance, strength, cardio and flexibility training are all key to avoiding what happened to my Mom.

As you age, strength is especially vital, because you lose muscle mass. According to Henry Ford Health without strength training, people can lose up to 30% of their muscle mass between ages 50 and 70. "After 70, the rate of muscle loss accelerates further." The good news is you can build muscle any time in your life. Strength training should be at the core of any exercise plan, because many injuries occur because your muscles are not supporting the activites you do everyday. There are many options depending on your preferences from free weights, machines to Pilates.

Balance and flexibility training are also key. As you age, you want to be able to do simple functions like getting dressed and bending over to tie your shoes. Practicing yoga is a great way to increase your range of motion and focus on balance. If yoga is not your thing, there are countless balance exercise suggestions online. You might think you are too young for this, but trust me, if you are not doing these things already, your balance is probably not where it needs to be.

Aerobic exercise plays a critical role in longevity. There are specific internal chemical processes that are occuring during exercise that support a longer life. Having an unerstanding of what is going on inside, can help motivate you to choose the right type, pace and level of exersion.

At the center is the health of our mitochondria. In the center of our cells, their main job is to produce energy for our organs. Mitophagy removes and recycles damaged mitochondria and regulates the biogenesis of new, fully functional ones preserving healthy mitochondrial functions and activities.

Zone 2 training can be a core part of anyone's excercise plan, because it promotes mitophagy, but also teaches your body to burn fat for longer. It feels great because you can use everyday activities like walking fast, riding your bike, playing tennis, or rollerblading (my personal favorite), etc. You are in zone two when you can still carry on a conversation while you exercise. This is truly nature's medicine for your mental health. I prioritize Zone 2 workouts outside when I need a mental lift.

Aerobics, jogging/running, dance and interval training can all get you into Zone 3, 4 or 5.

Incorporating interval training, to get you in Zone 5 at least 20 -30 minutes a week has enormous benefits according to Dr Rhonda Patrick. In FoundMyFitness. The longevity & brain benefits of vigorous exercise, she explains that although all exercise is good for the brain, high intensity may be particularly neuro-protective and cognitively beneficial.

• Lactate created during this high intensity exercise can cross the blood brain barrier.

• From here the brain can use the lactate over glucose as the preferred energy source because it takes less energy for the mitochondria to use lactate than glucose.

• This frees up glucose to be used to make glutothione. Glutothione is the source of your oxidative metabolism system and redcues oxidative stress.

• Why do you care if you are making glutothione? Because oxidative stress causes damage to your cells, thus aging.
  

• Lactate also increases BDNF. This is so powerful! It helps prevent neuro degenerative disease as well as increases neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is your brains ability to adapt and change.

Although all of these elements are part of a healthy exercise plan with an eye on aging well, our individual bodies and minds will require us to taylor a program that works for each of us. Using a wearable like a Fitbit, Apple Watch our Oura Ring can give you insights into your heart rate while you move through different activites. These can be amazing tools to help you adjust your program. When you understand why each compenent matters, its easier to make time and try to fit in each element. The key is balance.