How I ‘became 20 years younger’ with exercise
Most of us wonder how long we will actually live and wonder whether we could be in better shape in the second half of our life. As my 50th birthday loomed I became obsessed with my “health span” – in other words, my years of normal, active and healthy life to come.
I view my health as a graph, where I need to keep the peak of the curve as high as possible in order to have a greater margin for it falling when, one day in the future, it inevitably does.
The key step I took before I hit 50, was to get a detailed HRV (heart rate variability) score in a medical facility in Italy. The results were good news: a biological age of 32 for me, at the age of 48. And while any test needs to be taken with a degree of flex, it was a sign that it is possible to slow down the ageing process. I’m not just telling you this to brag. I am going to share the approach I’ve taken.
Get out of our comfort zone
First off it’s always about pushing beyond our comfort zone when we exercise, no matter how old you are. You should feel discomfort and challenge. Being out of breath and sweating, feeling some strain – these are all normal and good. You need to get used to the idea that “normal exercise” is to enjoy being challenged.
Build up your muscles
Good muscular strength is the number one goal for everyone – period. Without it, there is a knock-on effect on your entire body. Muscular strength affects your bones, skin, gut, brain and hormone system, so much so that if you are not strong you are fighting a losing battle for your health. Mobility and flexibility come next in importance as without them we can’t hold on to the strength we need, and we are more in danger of falls and stiffness. In turn, this affects how we view our capacity to move and stay young. We should be able to move without pain or limitation.
Know your health ‘numbers’
On top of all this we need cardiovascular fitness - it’s critical to our ability to stay alive. Within this, our blood pressure is absolutely vital, and you should always know your own numbers. Blood pressure of 120/75 is good and normal. A reading of 140/90 should be viewed as concerningly high. Likewise, your cholesterol reading is vital as it determines our likelihood of stroke, heart attack and every other cardiac event going. Good cholesterol, or HDL, should be above 1.0mmol/L for men or above 1.2mmol/L for women. Bad cholesterol, or non HDL, should b below 4mmol/L with a total cholesterol reading of below 5mmol/L
Lastly, we should all know our blood glucose reading. A GP blood test will show this, and the overall level should read between 3.9 and around 5.3, with levels above that requiring lifestyle adjustments in terms of diet and exercise straight away. Another vital reading is our apoB, which you may not have heard of, but is one the key indicators of a raised risk of cardiovascular problems that might materialise. You’ll need to ask a GP to carry out an apoB. The test is also available privately and relatively inexpensively at a large number of private testing centres.
It is possible to protect yourself against ageing
Whether we like it or not, midlife comes with a battle against muscle loss and hormone changes that make new challenges appear seemingly out of the blue. The good news is that the battle can be won, and won well. The bad news is perhaps that it’s going to take more of your time than you are currently giving.
So how am I doing? Well, I challenged myself to be the same shape at 50 as I was at 20, and on paper, I am! 76kg, 8 per cent body fat (okay, I was 5 per cent at 20 but it’s in the ballpark), testosterone between 22 and 30, overall cholesterol of around 3.8, blood pressure of 122/70, resting heart rate 40-42 bpm. I am living proof that it is possible to protect yourself against ageing.
In the coming weeks and months, I’m going to share the precise approach I’ve taken – so that you can adapt it and apply it to live a longer, stronger and healthier life yourself. Believe me, it will be worth it.
Disclaimer: The exercise and activities discussed here are suggestions only and are strictly advised to be undertaken following prior consultation with a health or medical professional. Physical activity and lifestyle changes of all kinds should be tailored to the individual based on an assessment of their personal needs.