Regular Exercise Could Keep Your Body 25 to 30 Years YoungerAnd the case for Tai Chi & Qigong

Did you know that someone who has consistently exercised over the decade’s muscles are no different from a 25-year-old’s?

That is what a recent study found.

In fact, they were biologically 30 years younger than their actual age. This was due to their aerobic capacity.

As people grow older, they tend to become more interested in staying healthy and active, for obvious reasons. Simply looking around seeing how frail and fragile people can become as they grow older has made many actively pursue ways of delaying it.

Is Physical Decline Inevitable?

It has never been established whether humans physical decline is inevitable or simply how we live our lives. My gut feeling is barring genetic problems which we can have no control over what we do every day matters to how we age. One of my shaolin grandmasters was terrifyingly fit into his late eighties, mesmerising everyone with no only his skill extraordinary fitness.

Older athletes have better quality muscles, brains and more active immune systems

Recent research has found that older athletes have better quality muscles, brains and more active immune systems than people much younger with sedentary lifestyles.

There have been hints, though, that physical activity might alter how we age. Recent studies have found that older athletes have healthier muscles, brains, immune systems and hearts than people of the same age who are sedentary.

Up until such research was focused on older athletes not on ordinary people. A recent study headed by Scott Trappe; director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University Indiana was especially interested in baby boomers who started to exercise in the 1970’s. Unlike the serious athletes this group took up exercise as a hobby and to keep in shape.

The Longer you Train Throughout your Life the Better Results in Old Age

Some of this group of people kept up their exercise for the next 50 years. Their exercise included cycling, running, swimming, but none of this group every competed completely.

They compared this control group with another of similar age who had not exercise in that time. Both groups were now in their 70’s and a younger group of people in their 20’s.

The researchers expected to see deterioration in comparing the active 70-year olds with their 20 something group, but that is not what they found.

Keep your Muscles Toned with Exercise

Instead the muscles of the older exercisers were the very similar to the younger group. Although the 70-year old’s aerobic capacity was slightly reduced compared to the younger group they were 40% higher than the sedentary 70-year olds. In fact, the 70-year olds active group had the cardo vascular markers of people 30 years younger.

The researchers concluded that a deterioration in cardio vascular health was not inevitable and an active life style could have a big impact on older people.

Which brings us to Tai Chi and Qigong which Harvard Health described as "medication in motion” and continued “Tai chi differs from other types of exercise in several respects. The movements are usually circular and never forced, the muscles are relaxed rather than tensed, the joints are not fully extended or bent, and connective tissues are not stretched. Tai chi can be easily adapted for anyone…..”