By Emily Murray
No matter how we feel about it, your metabolism will continue changing throughout your lifetime.
Perhaps there is no greater way to see this than by reaching adulthood, What you could eat as a teen catches up with you in your 20s and 30s. When you become “middle age,” the effects of carrying around this extra weight can be seen in the health of your heart. It appears that working out however can greatly increase the chances of keeping your heart healthy. While this is something we have always known, the extent of it’s benefits are still being learned.
Over the course of 8 years, those who increased their fitness level or remained fit had a much lower risk of being admitted to the hospital with heart related issues, according to research conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.
To put this in to perspective, for every metabolic equivalent (MET) that is increased in the middle aged, there was a 17% lowered risk of future heart failure.
While we have known for some time now that of course exercise helps our overall health, this research is important because it studies how fitness improvement over a measurable time directly impacts the heart. All participants underwent two types of cardio measuring activities 8 years apart to measure heart health.
What does this mean for you?
Well if you are approaching or currently in the middle age years, it’s more important than ever to maintain or build your fitness level. Health comes down to not only exercising, but also proper nutrition.
If you aren’t sure where to start, here are some exercise ideas and programs that can get you started on the right foot.