Tuesday, January 11, 2011

The Fountain of Youth

What is it about the quest for the fountain for youth !?! Is there such a thing? Well, the answer is yes! However, is a youthful body the result of drinking water from a secret mountain spring, or from rubbing expensive lotion from a tiny bottle at the cosmetic counter ?

Nonsense!!!

Are ready for the secret?? … The fountain of youth is Exercise.

Here’s why…

What has convinced me of this of this are the observations I’ve made running the wellness clinic at the Bentall Centre Athletic Club over the past 4 years. When I’ve met with new members it’s necessary to ask their age as a routine part of the fitness appraisal. Interestingly, one of the trends I’ve noticed is that the people who look young have excellent aerobic fitness and work hard to maintain it.

A typical example is a man I tested who was 56 years of age. When he told me his age I was astonished to find he was in his late 50’s, and thought he could have easily been in his mid 40’s. After I had finished calculating his fitness scores I noticed an interesting connection between his level of aerobic fitness and his youthful appearance. Instead of his aerobic capacity being 41ml/kg/min, which is excellent for men in his 50s, it was actually much higher at 49ml/kg/min – which is excellent for men in their late 30’s. Eureka!

The same trend I have found quite reliably and consistently for both men and women I’ve tested between age 21 and 70. It leads me to believe that if someone’s aerobic scores are comparable with a demographic a decade younger… then a youthful body will follow suit.

Don’t believe it??… Here’s why…

1) Lets start with an easy one: skin. When you exercise regularly your pores are able to push out debris and excrete toxins from you body. Your vascular system through exercise is enhanced bringing more circulation and nutrients to your skin having a positive effect on your collagen, bringing more elasticity to your skin. It irons out the wrinkles and produces a youthful appearance.

2) Sexy shape. Lets be realistic, the focus for many men and women is to retain their sex appeal. Everyone likes to look sexy, and athletic bodies are attractive. Exercise will help your self-image and is proven to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases.

3) Range of Motion. By engaging in flexibility training as a regular part of your routine you will do more than reduce your day to day kinetic aches and pains, you will be working towards retaining your mobility and functional independence through out the rest of your life.

4) Youthful energy. After polling my online community the number one goal to exercise regularly is to feel energized. It’s true, the more exercise you get the more endorphins your body will create. These are the substances your body makes that lift your mood and makes the youngster inside you come alive.

5) A Strong Heart and Lungs. You can’t live much more than 3minutes without oxygen. If you want to move like a young person you’ll need to be physically active to have a strong heart. This will enable your body to transfer more oxygen to your working muscles and carry more carbon dioxide away from them. Exercise will increase your hearts aerobic capacity and ergo: you will feel like your sipping from fountain of youth.

OK? So exercise is the fountain of youth. Do you need to get help attaining that next fitness level or committing to an enjoyable program? Get help from the staff at the Bentall Centre Athletic Club. We have brand new state of the art work out equipment, a eucalyptus steam room, and the industries best sports professionals.