​what is
Longevity?
Definition
The word ‘longevity’ is sometimes used as a synonym for ‘life expectancy’ in demography. However, the term longevity is sometimes meant to refer only to especially long-lived members of a population, whereas life expectancy is always defined statistically as the average number of years remaining at a given age.
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In short Longevity is a term you will probably hear more and more in the health and fitness industry. If you hire a 'Longevity Coach' then their focus will be to, help you lead a healthy life, and train you to maintain your strength and health as long as possible.
is Longevity training just for
'old people'?
no,
in fact people of every age should keep longevity in their mind.
We are all different, come from different backgrounds, have different genetics and are (if you are currently training) are working towards different fitness goals.
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It is true that 'Longevity Training' is especially important for those over 60, however the earlier we start thinking about our longevity the better. You may currently be working toward a very specific goal or might even train to play a specific sport, but thinking about how we might modify our current training to incorporate 'longevity' focused exercise can be of great benefit.
When should we start?
30 Yrs ?
40 Yrs ?
50 Yrs ?
60+ Yrs ?
Start asap
hOW WOULD I EVEN TRAIN FOR 'LONGEVITY'?
Some of the life extension technologies and therapies you see in Sci Fi movies may be just around the corner, but ultimately what can the average person do today to help themselves?
Much of the longevity research being done is focusing on studying ‘Centenarians’ and ‘Blue Zones’ but what exactly are they?
Definition of ‘Centenarian’
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a person who is a hundred or more years old.
Definition of ‘Blue Zone’
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Blue zones are a con
'bLUE zONES'
The concept of blue zones grew out of demographic work done by Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain, published in 2004 by the journal Experimental Gerontology, who identified Sardinia's Nuoro province as the region with the highest concentration of male centenarians. As the two men zeroed in on the cluster of villages with the highest longevity, they began referring to the area as the ‘blue zone’. Building on this demographic work, Dan Buettner pinpointed four additional locations Okinawa (Japan); Nicoya (Costa Rica); Icaria (Greece); and Loma Linda (California, United States).
The Five "blue zones" which have been posited are: Okinawa (Japan); Sardinia (Italy); Nicoya (Costa Rica); Icaria (Greece); and Loma Linda (California, United States).
You can find out more information on ‘Blue Zones’ specifically and keep up to date with the latest research by visiting: Bluezones.com
What have we learnt from studying ‘Centenarians’
& 'Blue Zones’?
While genetics is probably the biggest determining factor in your lifespan and susceptibility to diseases, your lifestyle probably has a greater impact than many may think.
One of the most controversial things studying Centenarians has shown is that genetics really does play an important role in lifespan. You can find many Centenarians who don’t appear to lead the healthiest of lives (smokers, drinkers, etc) and yet they still live longer than others who do seem to ‘do all the right things’ when it comes to health.
There are of course many factors which determine how long someone will live. However research into blue zones has produced a lot of data, and we find a number of traits / similarities between these different areas.
Essentially the genetics of Centenarians usually means they get chronic conditions later than the average old person and therefore live longer. Disease after all is compounding as we get older and it’s not currently possible to remove all disease, instead what we need to do is manage it, so things don’t get worse. There are luckily a number of things which can be done to potentially help with this.
Why Old People Die?
According to Dr Peter Attia M.D. around 80% of people over 40 tend to die from one of what he calls ‘the four horsemen of death’ these being the most common causes of death in older people:
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Cardiovascular / Cerebrovascular Disease (CHD/CUD)
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Cancer
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Neurodegenerative Disease (such as alzheimer's)
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Accidental Death (Automotive, Accidental Poisoning, Falling, etc)
‘The key to living longer is in delaying chronic disease’
Disease after all is compounding as we get older, and it’s not currently possible to remove all disease, instead what we need to do is manage it, so things don’t get worse. You can’t choose your parents, therefore you can’t change your genetics (although scientists are working on it) so there isn’t much which can be done about your genetic predispositions, but you can start thinking about how you might combat these ‘four horsemen of death’ giving you a better chance of coping with chronic disease as you age.
You may have noticed that number 4 on the list is ‘Accidental Death’ which is interesting because in earlier life more people die from automotive accidents (car accidents) than any other although when we get older, most of the deaths involve falling. Falling down really does kill a lot of elderly people and you can see why. After all, someone who is older, weaker and more frail is more likely to break something when they fall and is less likely to be able to stop themselves from falling.
There are many things we can do when it comes to longevity training to limit the amount of potential falls we have and of course keep the body more resilient so if we were to fall, it might limit the potential damage. Working on eccentric training (which most people don’t do) will help greatly when it comes to walking down some stairs for example. Working on grip strength will help a person falling to be able to steady themselves. Strength training in general of course also helps to improve bone density.
The above video is of Dr. Peter Attia, M.D, who runs a medical practice focused on 'Longevity' - in the video he discusses current research and, his work has been of great help to us in producing out 'Longevity Into Course'
Supplements
Research into longevity and healthy aging has progressed rapidly in recent years, but intense interest from the public, corporations, and the media has created an environment in which unfounded claims can be hard to separate from scientific facts.
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In my career as a personal trainer I have seen a number of popular exercises, supplements and therapies come and go (and I'm not even that old), being marketed by people who know nothing (influencers) and sold to people who know even less (the general public). Some of the worst cases I have personally seen of people being misled generally involve the supplement industry
Training for 'Longevity'
Just what exactly can you start doing now?
We all know that science hasn’t come up with a definitive perfect pill, treatment or therapy that is going to keep us, strong, health and young forever, but we do know there are things we can do to improve our chances of living to ‘living to a ripe old age’ while staying as fit as possible.
Taking some of the ideas and research presented earlier in this course and combining that with my own knowledge as a Health & Fitness Coach, I am going to try and present some ideas for how you can train for longevity.
Increase Muscle Mass
Do Cardio
Increase Strength
Stop Smoking
Be a Healthy Weight
Stability
‘Centenarian Decathlon’
Just how important is muscle mass?
From the age of 25 - 50 we would expect to lose 3-8% of muscle mass per decade, it’s not uncommon for a person by the time they are 70 - 75 years old to have lost 50% of their muscle mass. This is why strength training is so important. You really need to offset this decline.
It’s common thought that you peak at 25 years old, however if you train as all of my clients do, then there is probably no reason that you can’t get stronger after the age of 25. I have 60 year old clients who are fitter and stronger than they were at 25, but that's because they take their training seriously. However we have to be realistic, if you are a 60 year old bodybuilder who has been training for over 20 years then you aren't all that likely to be reaching any new PR (Personal Record).
Do i really have to do cardio?
Many health professionals say that If you smoke, or have diabetes, your risk of death doubles or maybe even triples your risk of death, depending on time frame, but having an ‘elite’ cardiovascular fitness level has a 5x reduction in mortality.
The most important thing when it comes to cardio is consistency, so in your training / fitness program just aim for 45mins 4x per week, on any sort of cardio machine.
If you are super deconditioned (very out of shape) then 3x 30min sessions will help you to see benefits. In fact Most of the benefits from going from ‘not fit at all’ to ‘average fitness level’ you want to aim to be a decade younger in terms of ability.
Some fitness professionals will recommend more cardio training, but we all have to make tradeoffs at the end of the day, because most of us have jobs, hobbies and possibly even kids and a social life (although if you have young kids then maybe not so much of a social life lol.)
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' 45 mins 4 times per week at zone 2 '
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Cardio 'Zone 2' is not a specific setting on a machine it refers to 'Heart Rate Zones' during exercise.
Getting Strong
There are many different forms of strength from general hand grip strength to agile strength and strength training should be varied. Many people who train for longevity may perform certain strength training exercises using resistance machines, but is this really going to help? After all, if you are 70 and need to crouch down to pick something up, you also need stability and does using resistance machines that ‘lock you into a perfect movement pattern’ really help you train for this? The answer is that it only trains a certain part.
I train older clients and many of them seem addicted to using machines for everything, now don’t get me wrong, I'm not saying don’t use the resistance machines, but remember that they aren’t the same as real life. If you want to be able to pick something up off the floor on your 100th Birthday, then you would have a better chance of doing that if you practiced picking things up off the floor, and not just using machines to simulate different parts of the movements needed.
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Aim to incorporate 'functional' & 'compound' exercises' into you training program !
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Numerous studies have shown that strength training can also play a role in slowing bone loss, and several show it can even build bone. This is tremendously useful to help offset age-related declines in bone mass.
Why do you always say to stop smoking?
If you're a smoker, then you really need to ask yourself why? Perhaps it’s an escape for you, after all Nicotine creates an immediate sense of relaxation, many people who smoke say it reduces stress and anxiety, but this feeling is temporary and soon gives way to withdrawal symptoms and increased cravings.
Some smokers only smoke due to social reasons, so if you spend a lot of time with other people who smoke then it’s understandable that it’s going to be more difficult for you to give up. In this day and age we all know that smoking's bad for your health but ...
Did You Know: It’s estimated that smoking gives a person a 40% increase in ACM (All Cause Mortality), this means that at any point in time there is a 40% higher chance of death compared to a non smoker.
what is a healthy weight?
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BMI (Body Mass Index ) is far from being a perfect measure, because it does not directly assess body fat. Muscle and bone are denser than fat, so an athlete or muscular person may have a high BMI, yet not have too much fat. But most people are not athletes, and for most people, BMI is a very good gauge of their level of body fat.
BMI = (weight in pounds x 703) / (height in inches x height in inches)
A normal BMI is between18.5 and 25; a person with a BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight; and a person with a BMI over 30 is considered obese. A person is considered underweight if the BMI is less than 18.5.
As with most measures of health, BMI is not a perfect test. For example, results can be thrown off by pregnancy or high muscle mass, and it may not be a good measure of health for children or the elderly. So then, why does BMI matter? In general, the higher your BMI, the higher the risk of developing a range of conditions linked with excess weight, including:
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diabetes
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arthritis
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liver disease
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several types of cancer (such as those of the breast, colon, and prostate)
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high blood pressure (hypertension)
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high cholesterol
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sleep apnea
As a single measure, BMI is clearly not a perfect measure of health. But it’s still a useful starting point for important conditions that become more likely when a person is overweight or obese. In my view, it’s a good idea to know your BMI. But it’s also important to recognize its limitations.
Does flexibility = Stability ?
Stability is truly the cornerstone upon which your strength, your aerobic performance, and your anaerobic performance relies, but just what is mobility?
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Flexibility is simple, all it refers to is a muscles ability to lengthen. Mobility on the other hand is a broader term which has to do with your bodies ability to control a joint and how we use it to move.
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We need both mobility and flexibility in order to carry out everyday tasks, however there is a large emphasis put on 'flexibility training' such as stretching and less emphasis placed on mobility. We always need to ensure we are not just flexible on our feet but are stable and maintain our mobility into old age.
What's a 'Centenarian Decathlon' ?
One of the best yet simplest ideas I have ever found with regards to longevity training is the idea presented by Peter Attia M.D, called the ‘Centenarian Decathlon’.
Dr Peter Attia is a Canadian-American physician known for his medical practice that focuses on the science of longevity and he often talks about the concept of ‘backcasting’ (which he borrowed from Annie Duke) when designing longevity training plans.
The above video is of Dr. Peter Attia, M.D, who runs a medical practice focused on 'Longevity' - in the video he discusses current research and, his work has been of great help to us in producing out 'Longevity Into Course'
Longevity
FAQ
Here are a few takeaway points to remember and things we get asked about all the time:
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1.) Will 'Longevity Training' make you live longer ?
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No, and know-one should be giving guarantees that there training plan will ensure you life longer. That being said Longevity training comes from research that has been carried out into why people die and how we can improve our chances of staying fitter, healthier and more able bodies for as long as possible.
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We tend to think of 'Longevity Training' as trying to 'stack the deck in your favor' when it comes to staying healthy and maintaining your own Independence well into old age.
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2.) Can I just Use Gym Machines ?
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The machines you find in the gym can be a great addition to any longevity focused training but, generally speaking you should be over reliant on machines. Switch the cardio machine for a long walk once in a while, and make sure you are preforming 'free weight exercises' instead of just using resistance machines, as they lock you into a position and despite helping your build muscle and strength, you still need to work on your stability and be able to hold and work with a weight, just like in the real world.
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You become a master of what you practice and the last time you bent over to pick something up from the floor, you probably weren't strapped into some kind of machine were you lol.
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3.) What is the most important thing to train for ?
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That's a very difficult questions to answer because we of course would say that you should be training in all of the ways stated above, and there are always trade-offs to be made, after all someone who spends every hour or the day in the gym maybe super fit and life longer, but if that life really worth living if your just going to spend it at the gym?
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Our suggestion is your try to incorporate the following into any training your do and you wont go too far wrong:
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Resistance Training
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Cardiovascular Training
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Mobility & Stability Training
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Flexibility Training
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Endurance Training
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All of these types of training can be incorporated into a standard weekly workout when sticking to a training program consisting of some cardio, resistance training (using compound exercises), dynamic and static stretches.
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4.) Can I turn fat into muscle ?
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Umm kind of. You can build muscle at the same time as you lose weight but you can't exactly turn the adipose tissue (fat) into actual muscle, that being said it may physically look like that from the outside to the untrained eye.
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If you have someone who is overweight and they start to workout and incorporate resistance training with an emphasis in building muscle and gaining strength, and if that person eats properly then they can go through what is often referred to as a 'body recomposition' which means they will 'burn the fat' while building muscle. To those not in the know then this could look like the man or woman in question is turning fat into muscle because they are getting leaner, but are also building muscle, which of course reveals more and more.
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5.) Where can i find a longevity coach ?
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We really would be missing a trick if we didn't advertise our services first here, so if your in the market for a longevity coach, and / or Personal Trainer then checkout our services page.
Many Personal Trainers and Health & Fitness Coaches are now starting to include longevity focused training into their clients training programs, although to date we are not sure if there are specific courses and qualifications which can be obtaining, despite some trainers marketing themselves as specializing in 'Longevity Training' so our suggestion is to choose a trainer who is both qualified and ensured.
If in the UK your best bet would be to find a trainer who is a member of a recognized association such as 'CIMSPA' (The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity).
All our trainers are 'CIMSPA' registered.
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6.) Just how to i actually build muscle mass ?
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We know that ensuring we retain as much muscle mass as possible into old age is important as our muscle mass and strength essentialy naturaly wastes away as we age, but if you want to maitain or grow muscle mass then your need to make sure you are performing some kind of resistance training.
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For more info on resistance training and building muscle mass then check out our 'Build Muscle' Page.
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7.) How do I lose weight ?
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This is a very popular question, and it is an important one if your are currently an unhealthy weight. Ultimately it comes down to being in a calorie deficit but for more specific weight loss information then why not check out our 'Lose Weight' page.
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8.) Is 80 to late to start training ?
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If your already in your senior years then, sure it would have been better to have started training with longevity in mind earlier in life, but what's done is done. You might not get as much benefit as someone who has longevity in mind and starts training and 20 years old, but the point is that you are going to be making a conscious effort to get healthier, faster, stronger and maintain as much ability as possible as you age.
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Remember it's never too early or late to start training for Longevity.
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Liam ;)
