Telomeres aside, how exactly does exercise promote longevity? “Exercise triggers a cascade of biological benefits that enhance both lifespan and healthspan,” Patel says.
These are:
Mitochondrial Biogenesis: “Exercise stimulates the production of new mitochondria, increasing energy metabolism and reducing oxidative stress, key to slowing ageing at the cellular level,” says Patel.
Insulin Sensitivity: “Regular physical activity improves the body’s responsiveness to insulin, aiding blood sugar regulation and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, a condition linked to accelerated ageing,” Patel explains.
Inflammation Reduction: “Chronic inflammation is a known driver of ageing and disease. Exercise modulates inflammatory pathways, reducing markers like CRP and IL-6,” notes Patel.
Neuroprotection: “Physical activity increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), supporting neuronal health and cognitive function, essential for reducing dementia risk and maintaining mental acuity,” translation: it’s good for your melon, too.
Can exercise ever be harmful?
We know working out is good for you, on paper. But we’ve all finished a run and felt like an eighty-year-old whose knees and lungs are falling to bits. Is that still an indicator of health? There’s a joke among some athletes – particularly climbers – that your chosen sport advances you ahead of other people. Not in fitness, but in age, with wrists, backs, ankles, elbows all feeling the strain of repetitive movement. Surely none of this is good?
“There’s a paradox,” agrees Patel. “Exercise itself triggers inflammation, and chronic inflammation is a fast-track to ageing.” The key? The Goldilocks spot – finding the just-right amount that stimulates adaptation without excessive wear and tear.
Exercise is meant to cause some muscle damage – it’s how we get stronger, and inflammation is the process by which the damaged areas are sent all of the building materials they need to repair themselves, and are protected whilst this happens. But you’ve probably heard that inflammation is bad, leading to all sorts of worrying things, including cancer. So what’s the solution?
“How do you know if you’re hitting the Goldilocks zone?” asks Patel. There are a few ways. You can send off for a kit to track your biological age, and dial back your workouts if the results are concerning. You can also track heart rate variability, with low HRV indicating poor recovery. Tracking your VO2 Max – a test of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise – works in the same way, with Patel calling it “The ultimate predictor of longevity, indicating cardiorespiratory fitness.”
If your levels in any of these tests are higher than you’d like, scale it back. For best results, you might work with a physiologist to find out what works for you.
A helpful approach is to balance intense training with softer play, while keeping the majority of your workouts — if not all – within Zone 2. This is the magical zone that works your heart rate, burns fat and builds endurance without pushing your body to the limit.
Recognising the difference between fatigue and exhaustion is key for longevity. While exhaustion signals overtraining, feeling tired after a workout is often a positive sign that your body is adapting and becoming stronger. Dr Jim Pate, senior physiologist at Marylebone Health says that “the ability to work harder for longer while resisting fatigue is an improvement in aerobic endurance performance and fitness. Endurance of life is longevity.”
The intensity of zone 2 is therefore what you need to seek, as it taps into your aerobic metabolism whilst resulting in a healthy level of fatigue. Dr Koch explains a simple analogy: “Think of physical activity as a triangle, with the base of it representing aerobic activity (so zone 2) and the peak high intensity (anaerobic, zone 4-5). For longevity, you want to maximise the volume of the triangle, spending around 75% of your training in zone 2 to widen the base and 25% of your training doing anaerobic activity to raise the peak, hence proportionately increasing the volume of the triangle.”
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