It’s official! The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota has deemed High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to be the BEST ‘MEDICINE’ EXERCISE for reversing signs of aging.
We have always known that exercise is one of the pillars that contributes to having healthy lifestyles. We know that exercise helps us to sleep and it keeps us alert. Not only that, it helps us look great by toning our muscles and boosting our immune systems. And finally, based on in-depth research, researchers at the Mayo Clinic have discovered that interval training in aerobic exercises helps our cells to generate energy.
K. Sreekumaran Nair, M.D., PH.D., and his colleagues at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, conducted exercise research on two age-groups of people: 18-30 years and 65-80 years. The subjects were directed to partake for a 3-month period in interval training, weight training, or a combination of the two types of exercise. They discovered that the interval training boosted the ability of the mitochondria within cells to generate energy by 69 per cent in the older volunteers, and by 49 per cent in the younger group.
Mitochondria are the energy producers and metabolism regulators of our cells. As we age, the mitochondria activity in the cells slows, which can cause fatigue and reduce the muscles’ ability to burn excess blood sugar. But the interval training reversed the declines.
What Is Interval Training?
Interval training is a type of workout that involves alternating between two speeds of exercise, ranging from low to high intensity workouts. It alternates between bursts of high-intensity anaerobic exercise and lower-intensity activity. High-intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a cardiovascular exercise program that utilizes the interval training process.
According to information provided by Mayo Clinic staff, any form of interval training will make a difference. You could choose to work in a HIIT program, or you could do it on your own by concentrating on alternating higher bursts of exercise with lighter activity. An example would be to sprint walk around the track and then walk for a period at a slower, more leisurely pace… or alternate between jogging and fast-walking.
What kind of exercises do you do? Would you mind sharing your experiences with us?
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