If you are 65 and want to live longer, try aerobic activities + strength training every week

Exercising is good for your health in more ways than one. And it can also help you live longer if you choose the right form.

A recent study suggests that a combination of aerobic activities with strength training should be a part of an older individual’s weekly exercise routine.

What did the study say? As per the findings of the study, those who performed both aerobic exercises and strength training were more likely to live longer than those who did just one of these forms.

The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, questioned 1,50,000 people who were in their 60s and 70s. They asked them what their exercise routine looked like.

The research found two crucial things:

• Those who exercised moderately for the recommended 150 minutes lived longer than those who were not physically active.
• Those who combined muscle training with aerobic exercises once or twice a week lived even longer. They had a 47% lower risk of dying (excluding cancer) over the next nine years than those who were not active at all.

According to the UK's National Health Service, an individual over 65 years of age should be physically active on a daily basis.

• The health body also suggests that such individuals should also perform activities that can improve strength, balance and flexibility at least twice a week.

Exercise in a week: It is also recommended that one should perform at least 150 minutes of moderate to intense activity a week. This can also be replaced with 75 minutes of high-intensity exercises if you have an active lifestyle.

Usually, people give preference to aerobic exercises to stay physically active. But the study recommends not one, but both forms of exercise. It stresses on the importance of strength training.

• Aerobic exercises, also known as cardio or cardiovascular exercises, are beneficial to stay fit and also boost your heart health. But very few people know about the benefits of strength training.
• The study has revealed that weightlifting alone lowered the risk of dying by up to 9-22% and aerobic exercise lowered it by 24-34%.
• When combined together, the risk falls by 47%.

The US-based study also suggests that you don’t have to hit the gym to perform strength training or carry heavy weights. One can choose simple exercises. 

Point to note: It also adds that women have benefitted more from strength training than men.