When it comes to exercise, everybody knows the wonders exercise has in regards to weight loss, energy, and similar health benefits. However, exercise isn’t just only about these things, exercise can be a part of a full-blown anti-ageing regime as well. This is due to the fact that our bone mass and tissue connections naturally deteriorate with age and exercise can help strengthen our muscles and slow down the damaging impact of ageing in our muscle, skin, and bone tissue. It’s no wonder why so many celebs over 45 like Jennifer Lopez and Madonna swear by regular workouts to maintain their youthful and fit physique--it works.
Here are the top 3 anti-ageing workouts to incorporate into your daily exercise program, for added anti-ageing benefits.
No 1: Squats with weights.
Squats are a very effective way to tone your butt and upper leg muscles, which tend to sag as we age. To do this exercise, get a pair of weights (dumbbells) and stand with your feet one foot apart from each other, with your weights held to the sides. Then, start to bend your knees forming a 90-degree angle as if you’d sit somewhere. Shift your hips back and push up and down. Use your feet heels to stand up, and lift the weights towards your shoulders. Make 3 sets and 12 reps for each set.
No 2: Pushups.
This widespread exercise is famous for a reason--it exercises and tones more than three muscles at the same time: biceps, triceps, pectoral muscles (upper arm and chests) and trapezius (upper back and shoulder) muscles. To make a set of pushups, get your body to a straight arm plank with your wrists placed right below your shoulders. Your feet should be one leg apart from each other. Bend your elbows to push your body downwards until you are just a couple of inches above the ground. Push back and lift to a straight arm plank while your legs are still involved. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps each.
Tip: if you are a beginner, bend your knees to the ground to help push your body up and down while doing the plank.
No 3:
Jump ropes. Jump ropes, the fun exercise tool that many of us were using during our childhood, has now become more relevant than ever as it is the perfect cardio exercise for both losing weight and reaping anti-ageing effects. Jump ropes can specifically enhance the flexibility and elasticity of lower legs, which lessens the risk of experiencing serious health injuries and the damage that comes with ageing. Not only that, some fitness experts claim that it can also boost cognitive function through the mental and physical coordination it takes to perform this exercise. Now when it comes to size, your height and build should be your guide as getting the wrong size will make it extra tough for you to do it (jumping over it with your legs while it spins). If you are up to 5.3inches for example, look for a 7 to 8 feet long rope while for most people who are between 5.5 to 6.5 inches in height, a 9 to 10 feet rope would do.
Extra tips:
- Make sure you stay well-hydrated throughout exercise and drink plenty of water or sugar-free liquids like tea, to keep going.
- Other possible anti-ageing exercises you can try out are crunches and jogging around your block. Don’t worry if you don’t have any fancy equipment and tools as many exercises e.g push-ups don’t require any tools.