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How cardio and strength training can help you live longer

October 14, 2022
·
4 min read

Optimise your health and increase your life expectancy

Regular exercise has a multitude of health benefits, including helping you to live longer. In fact, in a recent study published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers found that both cardio and strength training play an important role when it comes to longevity.

The study revealed that aerobic exercise and strength training both helped you live longer, however, the surprising discovery was that a combination of both cardio and strength training together could result in an even lower mortality risk. 

What this groundbreaking study is saying is that yes, of course, it is great if you decide to do cardio exercise only,  and yes, it is also equally good to do strength training, but if you combine the two then you really have hit the jackpot! When it comes to improving your health and life expectancy, the science says it all - combining cardio and strength training is the optimal goal.

The sweet spot

According to the study, it is important to regularly do 1 to 3 hours of cardio exercise per week and 1 to 2 strength training sessions per week. If you can sustain this amount of regular exercise then that is the perfect ratio or sweet spot for optimising your overall health and increasing your life expectancy.

Why do cardio exercise?

Most of us are already familiar with the main health benefits of cardio training. We know that it's good for our heart, that it burns fat, lowers blood pressure, reduces the risk of diabetes, and increases energy, to name a few. But what about the psychological benefits? It can ease symptoms of depression and anxiety and keep your memory sharp. 

Improving mental health and well-being

According to the Excercise for Mental Health study published in The National library of medicine, ‘Aerobic exercises, including jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, gardening, and dancing, have been proved to reduce anxiety and depression.’

Cardio training has a positive effect on mood because exercise increases blood circulation to the brain and has an effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which then reduces stress.

Physical activity boosts endorphin levels. Endorphins are the feel-good chemicals produced by the brain resulting in feelings of happiness and euphoria. That’s why doctors recommend that you introduce exercise into your everyday routine before turning to medication for anxiety and low mood.

Another mental health benefit of cardio is reduced stress levels. Increasing your heart rate stimulates the production of neurohormones like norepinephrine, which modulates the action of neurotransmitters that play a direct role in the stress response.

Enjoy better sleep, and boost memory and brain power. If you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, then make sure you fit some cardio training into your routine. Exercise helps regulate your circadian rhythm, our inner alarm clock that controls when we feel tired and when we feel alert. Studies indicate that cardiovascular exercise plays a role in creating new brain cells and improves overall brain performance, strengthens memory and boosts brainpower in a number of ways.

The benefits of strength training

Research shows that regular strength training is important for healthy ageing, and maintaining a high quality of life. Strength training involves using one or more muscle groups to perform a specific task, such as lifting a weight or doing squats.

Muscle strength is required for ordinary daily activities, such as getting out of a chair, carrying groceries, gardening, taking care of children and cleaning the house. Over time we lose muscle mass. Muscle loss usually starts when people are in their thirties and progresses with age. But you can fend off the negative effects with regular strength training.

Strength training is also known as weight training, resistance training, and muscular training. The general definition of strength training is any physical movement in which you use your body weight or equipment to build muscle mass, strength, and endurance, for example using equipment such as dumbbells, weights and resistance bands.

According to the International Journal of Exercise Science strength training makes you stronger, boosts your metabolism, decreases abdominal fat, decreases your risk of falls, lowers your risk of injury, improves heart health, promotes mobility and flexibility, makes your bones stronger, boosts your mood, and improves brain health. 

In other words, strength training has been proven to drastically increase your overall health and well-being. 

What gym equipment is best for cardio and strength training

Cardio equipment:

  • Treadmill
  • Rowing machine
  • Exercise bike
  • Ski trainer
  • Spinning bike
  • Elliptical trainer
  • Stepper

Strength equipment

With strength training, you can use various equipment and methods.

Body weight: You can use your body weight and the force of gravity to perform various movements. For example pushups, squats, planks, pull-ups, and lunges.

Free weights: This is equipment not bound to the floor or a machine, such as dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, barbells or medicine balls.

Resistance bands: rubber bands that provide resistance when stretched.

Weight machines: machines with adjustable weights or hydraulics attached to provide resistance and stress to the muscles. For example leg machines, abdominal machines and all-in-one trainers.

Suspension equipment: consists of ropes or straps that are anchored to a sturdy point, in which a person uses their body weight and gravity to perform various exercises.

The takeaway

Think of cardio and strength training as the perfect duo, like pancakes and maple syrup, good on their own but even better when combined.

Use cardio exercise to improve your overall fitness level and endurance. It supports your circulatory and respiratory systems and makes sure your body and brain are in optimal condition and full of vitality.

Use strength training exercises to strengthen specific parts of your body, such as your legs, abs, back, or arms. You can increase your strength, muscle tone, bone density, and promote mobility. Strength training is crucial to help minimise the loss of lean body mass seen with ageing. 

Adopt a variety of aerobic and strength training activities in your routine and improve the quality of your life.

Danelle Claassen
Design & Digital Specialist
Danelle is a creative and also a fitness enthusiast. She has an active, sport orientated background and she's is on a journey of fitness transformation.
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