Want to Stay Young? Get Ready to Sweat Hard!

Despite all scientific searches for the fountain of youth, no one has yet discovered a formula that will keep you young forever. However, a new study from Brigham Young University in the UK has found that there is one type of aging we can significantly slow down - the aging of our body cells.

"Just because you are forty does not mean you are forty biologically," says Professor Larry Tucker, one of the researchers. "We all know people who look younger than their age. It turns out that the more physically active a person is, the slower the biological aging of their body cells."

It is not just about daily walking. The study found that only people who maintained a high intensity of physical activity slowed the aging rate of their body cells, compared to those with a sedentary lifestyle or those who were moderately physically active. In fact, aging compared to the sedentary was slower by nine years, and slower by seven years compared to those accustomed to moderate physical activity.

What qualifies as intense enough physical activity? Jogging for half an hour daily, five days a week, for women, and jogging for forty minutes daily, five days a week, for men.

"If you want to see a real difference in your biological aging, some exercise is probably not enough," explains Professor Tucker. "You need to commit to intense physical exercise regularly."

"We already know that regular physical activity helps reduce mortality and prolong life," concludes the research, "Now we know that part of this is likely related to the ability of intense physical activity to slow down cellular aging."