The Treadmill - The Fitness Booster for Your Life
The title is of course just a little wordplay – the point is to examine whether cardio sports, such as running on a treadmill, have such a positive effect on the body that you can live longer. Does exercise extend your lifespan? And if so, which types of sport? Strength training? Endurance sports? There are several interesting studies on this topic.
Do endurance athletes really live longer?
Anti-aging has been the buzzword of recent years. Not only are there anti-aging measures and ingredients in cosmetics, but the lifestyle sector has also embraced the buzzword and offers interested customers courses aimed at delaying the body's biological aging. Whether through consuming foods that are valuable to the body or health offers designed to help participants go through life fitter and more balanced into old age. Regular movement and exercise play an important role here. But what kind of sport is best? Studies show that runners who run moderately on a regular basis can demonstrably extend their average life expectancy. Danish researchers determined this in the “Copenhagen City Heart Study”. According to the long-term study, in which data from a total of 20,000 participants was collected over a 35-year period, men live an average of 6.2 years longer and women an average of 5.6 years longer. According to the researchers, the optimal amount of running is two to three times a week. It would be best to run between one and two and a half hours per running session – at a moderate pace.
An American long-term study by scientists at Stanford University also arrived at the same result: Regular running sessions delay physical ailments in old age. For instance, participants who ran regularly experienced age-related complaints an average of 16 years later than the sedentary control group. Now, studies are always a tricky thing: they throw numbers around, and often we don't know the exact baseline conditions the participants brought into the study, etc. But across all studies, there is consensus on one thing: moderate, regular endurance training such as running is good for us, our blood values, metabolic activity, and our cells.
What exactly does regular and moderate treadmill training do?
One term becomes very important here: telomerase activity. Telo-what? Telomerase is an enzyme in our body, more specifically in our cells. This special enzyme restores the ends of chromosomes, the telomeres. Anyone who paid attention in biology class knows that chromosomes carry our genetic material and are located in every cell of our body. As we age, telomeres—the chromosome ends—become shorter and shorter and eventually disappear or die off completely. This is commonly described as “cellular aging.” It's no wonder that many researchers love studying telomerase and telomeres. Because what if we could slow down this process? What if the chromosome could live longer due to prolonged telomerase activity? In short: what if we could actively influence our own aging process?
Cardiologist Christian Werner from Homburg University Hospital investigated this question. In a study, he examined which form of training is most effective in influencing cellular aging. More specifically, he investigated the activity of the enzyme telomerase in relation to certain types of exercise, such as moderate endurance training (jogging three times a week for three quarters of an hour), intense strength training, and high-intensity interval training. It was shown that telomerase activity was highest in the endurance group, making this form of training the most effective. In other words, this means nothing other than: Anyone who runs moderately and regularly can keep their cells alive longer and may age more slowly.
Why is treadmill training good for you?
First of all: there is absolutely nothing wrong with completing your jogging sessions outside in the woods or on your usual running path. On the contrary – fresh air and constantly changing weather conditions are good for your immune system. So if you want to run your laps outside, go right ahead! However, there are some very strong arguments in favor of training at home with a treadmill :
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You run completely independent of the weather! Is it pouring rain outside? You couldn't care less. Put on your comfortable workout clothes and go for an easy half-hour run on your treadmill.
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Excellent workout variations possible! Modern treadmills have a variety of workout programs that you can access. This guarantees variety that you simply won't get on your favorite running path in the woods. Integrate different incline rates into your running routine from time to time to constantly create new workout stimuli.
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Accurate pulse and heart rate measurement for optimal running training! Virtually all treadmills can be paired with a heart rate chest strap that monitors and records your pulse and heart rate. This allows you to set up highly customized running programs featuring that moderate running pace that scientists agree is good for you and your body.
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The treadmill doesn't accept excuses! Too dark? Can't bring yourself to leave the house? Too late, too early? None of it matters – with a treadmill at home, such excuses simply don't apply. Bad news for your inner couch potato, good news for your endurance and health. Short distances, and the shower after your treadmill workout isn't far away either. This makes it easy to integrate short, effective treadmill sessions into almost any daily routine.
So you see: even a short jog on the treadmill brings many positive benefits – give it a try!
