If you find yourself lounging on the couch, snacking on chips, and feeling as though your resolution is already off track, there’s good news—you haven’t missed your chance.
A study conducted in 2018 and published in the journal Circulation revealed that even individuals in their later middle years can make significant improvements to their heart health with some commitment.
The study involved 53 participants aged 45 to 64 who were healthy but lived mostly inactive lifestyles without regular exercise.
Participants were divided into two groups. One group followed a regimen that included yoga, weight training, and balance exercises, while the other group engaged in aerobic exercises that increased in intensity over two years. Both groups trained several times per week.
In the aerobic exercise group, participants engaged in weekly aerobic sessions that included activities like running or dancing. They also performed four sets of exercises lasting four minutes each, with three-minute active recovery periods, all at 95 percent of their maximum heart rates.
Additionally, the aerobic group engaged in moderate exercise two to three days a week.
The study found that both groups showed improvements after two years, but the aerobic group experienced an 18 percent increase in maximum oxygen intake during exercise and a 25 percent improvement in the ‘plasticity’ of the heart’s left ventricle walls.
As individuals age, the heart’s walls tend to become more rigid, so increased plasticity indicates better heart health.
Dr. Benjamin Levine, who led the study, highlighted the significance of these findings, stating: “We found what we believe to be the optimal dose of the right kind of exercise, which is four to five times a week, and the ‘sweet spot’ in time, when the heart risk from a lifetime of sedentary behaviour can be improved – which is late-middle age…”
“The result was a reversal of decades of a sedentary lifestyle on the heart for most of the study participants.”
Dr. Rhonda Patrick, holding a PhD in biomedical science and sharing fitness insights on her FoundMyFitness podcast, referenced this study, noting that the exercise could ‘reverse the ageing of their hearts by as much as 20 years’.