Exercise for Longevity

“How should I exercise to increase health span?” This is a question I frequently ask myself. Stanford Physician and Longevity Researcher, Peter Attia, MD believes we need a “framework” for exercise. This Framework deals with 4 different types of exercise that often overlap and work together to help us over time. Attia calls these the “4 Pillars of Longevity”.

1) Stability: According to Attia, stability is truly the cornerstone upon which your strength, your aerobic performance and your anaerobic performance relies. Some examples of stability exercises are walking on uneven surfaces, BOSU ball exercises (biceps curls, squats), single leg exercises (single leg deadlift, jumping rope or standing on one foot). We experience proprioception, which is our body’s ability to sense its movements and location in space, when we find ourselves in an unstable situation. It’s best to activate this neuromuscular pathway 2-3 times a week by incorporating some of the stability exercises listed above.

2) Strength: A study from Harvard Medical School states the average 30 year old will lose about a quarter of his or her strength by age 70 and half of it by age 90! Doing compound exercises is a great and efficient way to help you maintain and improve strength, flexibility and gain more muscle mass, Some examples of compound exercises are push-ups, chest press on a bench or mat, bent-over row, barbell or dumbbell squats, alternating step-back lunges, and weighted hip hinge (deadlift). A simple, full-body compound exercise workout would be: Two upper body exercises and two lower body exercises, 3 sets of 12-15 reps with a challenging amount of weight, 2-3x per week.

3) Aerobic Efficiency: This is the maximum amount of work one can do while staying under our lactate threshold (ie-the exercise pace that can be maintained over a prolonged period of time without fatigue, “Zone 2 training”). This can be done by maintaining a “conversational pace”, 30-60 min, 3-4 x per week.

4) Anaerobic Peak: This consists of short bursts or “all out" (20-30 seconds) of cardio effort, 1-2 x within a workout, cardio or strength, 3-4 times a week. *If you have any health concerns, please get clearance from your Health Care Provider before performing this effort.