Hi Everyone!
It’s no surprise that our physical fitness is a strong indicator of our cardiovascular health.
But there’s one exercise in particular that can significantly lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged men. And women can benefit from it too.
I’m not talking about running either…
Can you guess what it is?
Let’s dive in!
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The Exercise That Can Help Us Live Longer
For years, experts have told us to prioritize cardio or aerobic exercise to take care of our heart health. Don’t get me wrong—this type of exercise is super important.
Things like biking, running, dancing, swimming, and playing active sports are all good forms of cardio. The recommended amount is 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes a week of “vigorous intensity.”
But don’t stop there! Just doing cardio alone neglects the organ of longevity—I’m talking about muscle!
There’s one strength-building exercise that researchers have identified as a strong predictor of longevity, and the good news is that anyone can work on this exercise starting today. All you need is your body.
Have you guessed what it is?
It’s PUSH-UPS!
In a 2019 study from Harvard School of Public Health, researchers analyzed the health of 1,104 middle-aged firefighters over a 10-year period.
The men were given physical examinations, health and medical questionnaires, and fitness tests. Over that 10-year period, 37 of the men had incidences of cardiovascular disease. What was super fascinating about these 37 men is that all but one of them were unable to do 40 or more push-ups.
Researchers calculated that being able to do 40 or more push-ups meant a 96 percent reduced risk of cardiovascular disease events versus those who could do fewer than 10.
Being able to do more push-ups was even more correlated to cardiovascular events than aerobic activity, like a treadmill test.
There are some factors to consider here: the participants were middle-aged (the mean age was 39.6) and they were all men. But there’s still a lot to take from this study for men and women, regardless of age.
Being Strong Isn’t Just for Men
For women, exercises like push-ups and other forms of resistance training are like health insurance. They help build strong, healthy bones and prevent things like insulin resistance and osteoporosis, which half of all women over the age of 50 will develop!
Also a crazy fact: 80 percent of Americans who have osteoporosis are women!
This is even more reason for women to focus on strength training, especially as they get older. Physical activity and strength building also helps lower the risk and recurrence of cancers such as breast cancer.
Focusing on our physical fitness—both strength training and cardio—can have a massive impact on our health.
And push-ups are one way that we can maintain our physical fitness.
Interested in becoming a push-up master? Keep going.
TRY THIS – How to Do Push-Ups and Get Good at Them!
- Use the wall. Don’t be afraid to be a beginner. So many people avoid doing things because they’re not good at them. It doesn’t matter if you’re not good at push-ups; you’ll get there. Standing and using the wall puts less pressure on your joints. Here’s how to correctly do a wall push-up. Try a set of 10, and keep building up.
- Move to kneeling push-ups. Staying on your knees is a good way to reduce the pressure on your joints while also working toward strong push-ups. Here’s how to do kneeling push-ups. Try 10–15 of these per set.
- Work up to standard push-ups. You’re ready for the big leagues! It doesn’t matter if you can only do one push-up—that’s still something! Practice makes perfect, so work on these every single day. Here’s a good video on how to do standard push-ups.
- Build your strength. Perfecting push-ups is also about building your upper body strength. Add in exercises like chest presses, planks, tricep dips, and dumbbell rows to your workout to build up your arm, chest, and shoulder strength.
Pretty much EVERYONE is capable of becoming physically stronger starting with the actions you take today. Working with a trainer or a studio can be a great way to prevent injury if you’re just getting started. And remember, it doesn’t matter where you start. Even if you can only do one push-up or lift five pounds, that’s enough for now. Start where you are, be consistent, and watch yourself become superhuman!
Cheers to your fitness,
Dhru Purohit