Orlando, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — The Olympic games are a showcase of speed, endurance, and longevity. Athletes pushing their bodies to perform younger than their years. But scientists say you don’t have to be an Olympian to train your body that way and it’s not all about fitness, it’s how the body ages on the inside. It’s called biological age, how old your body functions at the cellular level and it can be very different from your birthday.
For Jon Hughes, running has been part of his life for more than five decades.
“Running has actually been a part of, and most of the important part of my life, it’s in my DNA,” said Jon Hughes, runner.
Jon runs three to four days a week — about 20 to 25 miles.
That’s down from as much as 140 miles a week in college and about 70 miles a week a decade ago. Scientists say that change may be exactly why his body is aging differently. Biological age isn’t just about how much you move; it’s about how your body adapts over time.
“Yeah, so these days I’m running much smarter than I used to,” said Hughes.
Intermittent intense exercise, followed by adequate recovery has been shown to improve mitochondrial health, insulin sensitivity, and even epigenetic markers linked to aging. It’s the same stress-and-adaptation model used by Olympic athletes. One critical measure: recovery speed, how fast your body returns to baseline after physical stress.
Scientists say recovery speed is one of the clearest signals of biological age. And DNA based tests show biological age can change within months. Research finds people who combine aerobic, interval, and strength training, along with good sleep and stress management age more slowly at the cellular level. In fact, high levels of consistent exercise have been linked to as much as nine years less cellular aging compared to sedentary adults.
As for Jon, he hopes to keep running for as long as his body and mind allow him to.
“I think running is truly a metaphor for life and that’s been the true for me and that you get out of it what you put into it,” explained Hughes.
And if you’re wondering about your own biological age, it can be measured through DNA based tests, markers of inflammation, metabolic health, and even the microbiome. Testing is available online and at some clinics. The key takeaway? You don’t need to be an Olympian to slow aging but training smart, recovering well, and adapting to stress can help keep your body younger — longer.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Bob Walko, Editor.
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Sources:
https://openpublichealthjournal.com/VOLUME/18/ELOCATOR/e18749445363042
https://news.byu.edu/news/high-levels-exercise-linked-nine-years-less-aging-cellular-level
