How an hour of lifting weights every week could boost your longevity

For years, regular exercise has been a key factor in increasing life expectancy. But for many, the most pressing question is; what’s the best type of exercise to incorporate into my routine? Well, according to the recently published Aerobics Centre Longitudinal Study carried out on 13,000 adults, lifting weights for less than an hour a week could greatly reduce your risk of a heart attack or a stroke by 40 to 70 percent. During the study, researchers from Iowa State University measured three potential health outcomes:

• Cardiovascular events such as heart attack or a stroke that did not result in death.
• All cardiovascular events that resulted in death.
• And lastly, any type of death.

According to DC Lee, associate professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University, the study showed that resistance exercise reduced cardiovascular events in all three outcomes. “The results are encouraging, but will people make weightlifting part of their lifestyle? Will they do it and stick with it? That’s the million-dollar question,” he said. Interestingly, when it comes to minimizing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, most people focus on cardio-based activities such as running. However, professor Lee strongly promotes weight lifting; claiming that it is just as good if not better for your heart; not to mention all the other benefits it provides. Lee and his team also analyzed the relationship that strength training has with other debilitating problems such as high cholesterol and diabetes. Their findings, published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, further affirmed that resistance exercise greatly reduces the risk of both. Additionally, having at least one hour of weekly resistance exercise recorded a 29 percent risk reduction in developing metabolic syndrome. The risk of developing high cholesterol was also reduced by 32 percent. “Muscle is the power plant to burn calories. Building muscle helps move your joints and bones, but also there are metabolic benefits. I don’t think this is well appreciated,” Lee says. “If you build muscle, even if you’re not aerobically active, you burn more energy because you have more muscle.” “This also helps prevent obesity and provide long-term benefits for various health outcomes.” According to recommendations by the NHS, adults aged 19 to 64 need to perform strengthening activities that work all the major muscles in their bodies. This includes working on the legs, hips, chest, arms, shoulders, and back at least two days per week. Adults are also advised to have at least 75 to 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. With that being said, you should aim to be physically active for a few minutes each day, as well as minimize the amount of time spent sitting or lying down not being productive.