About ten years ago, a former Olympic swimmer made headlines and didn’t even hold the fastest time in her events. So what made her so amazing? She was swimming with women half her age.
Dara Torres was 41 and headed to her fifth Olympic games. At the time, she also had a two-year-old daughter. While other women her age were complaining about pregnancy pounds and being “over the hill,” Dara looked like the 20-year-olds she competed with.
What made her different from other 41-year-old moms?
“I love to exercise,” Dara said. “I love how it makes me feel. I love how it makes me look.”
Here’s the fountain of youth part:
Because of continued exercise, Dara’s body is actually younger on a molecular level than many of her counterparts, according to a study led by Tim D. Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College in London, as reported by the Washington Post.
The results were astounding. They found that exercise appears to slow the shriveling of telomeres, the protective tips on bundles of genes inside cells, which means a slowing of the aging process.
“These data suggest that the act of exercising may actually protect the body against the aging process,” said Spector.
Here’s the study in a nutshell:
- Telomeres cap the ends of chromosomes and every time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter.
- Once a telomere gets too short, that cell can no longer divide.
- Aging occurs as more and more cells reach the end of their telomeres and die. This results in weakened muscles, skin wrinkles, loss of eyesight and hearing, organ failure and slowed metal functioning.
- The study analyzed the telomeres from the white bloods cells of twins over a 10-year period. Telomere length was used as a marker for the rate of biological aging.
- It was found that the length of telomeres was directly related to that twin’s activity level. “There was a gradient,” Spector said. “As the amount of exercise increased, the telomere length increased.”
- People who did 100 minutes of weekly exercise had telomeres that looked like those from someone about 5-6 years younger than those who did 16 minutes of exercise each week.
- People who did 3 hours of vigorous exercise each week had telomeres that looked like those from someone about 9 years younger.
What does this mean to you?
The fountain of youth is at your fingertips!
Add to that the previously proven benefits of exercise (such as a reduced risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases) and it’s no wonder that exercise lovers look and feel as great as they do. Do you want to start an exercise program or get back on one?
Whether it’s been months, years or even a lifetime since your last workout, remember that it’s never too late to start looking and feeling your best.
There’s no better time than today to start exercising.
And while you may not share Dara’s passion for swimming, you can share her secret for staying young and looking your best. Ready to get started? Contact us today.
