Exercise and Longevity

Who wouldn't want to age healthily? There are countless examples of people who remain mentally sharp and physically active well into their eighties and beyond. But what can you do to increase your own chances of living a long, healthy, and vibrant life?

For many years, it was believed that our life expectancy was determined primarily by our genes. Research has since disproved this assumption. Based on large-scale analyses, scientists estimate that genetics account for only about 10% of our lifespan. The remaining 90% appears to be largely determined by lifestyle factors.

Key finding: Only around 10% of our life expectancy is determined by genetics—the remaining 90% is largely influenced by our lifestyle, especially regular physical activity.

To age healthily and remain fit and active well into old age, our bodies need muscle strength and regular exercise. In addition, strong scientific evidence suggests that a healthy diet significantly improves the chances of longevity. We can do even more to preserve our physical and cognitive performance as we age: ensuring that our cells receive an optimal supply of essential nutrients helps prevent energy deficits and enables the body's metabolism to function efficiently.

Table of Contents

1. How Much Exercise Supports Healthy Aging?
2. Why Is Exercise Important for Health?
3. How Often Should You Exercise Each Week?
4. Physically Active People Live Longer Than Sedentary Individuals
5. Better Health for the Heart and Brain
6. At Least Two and a Half to Five Hours per Week
7. Focus on Endurance, Strength, and Balance
8. Strength Training: Still Underrated
9. Building Muscle for Longevity
10. A Protein-Rich Diet Supports Healthy Muscles
11. References

How Much Exercise Supports Healthy Aging?

How Much Physical Activity Does the WHO Recommend?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults engage in at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week—that is, approximately two and a half to five hours. Activities such as brisk walking, swimming, cycling, and dancing are all considered excellent choices.

For those who prefer more vigorous exercise, the WHO states that 75–150 minutes of high-intensity activity per week is sufficient. Examples include jogging, rowing, cycling classes, and other cardiovascular training.

In general, regular physical activity and targeted strength training are especially important for older adults. From the age of 65 onward, the WHO additionally recommends performing balance and coordination exercises at least three days per week to help prevent falls and related injuries.

Regular physical activity can help prevent a wide range of diseases. Its protective effects are particularly well documented for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and chronic pain conditions such as persistent low back pain. Exercise can also help slow age-related cognitive decline.

It improves memory and concentration, enhances sleep quality, alleviates symptoms of depression and anxiety, and increases overall well-being. There are therefore many reasons to overcome inertia—the earlier and more consistently, the better.

Why Is Exercise Important for Health?

Our bodies require muscle strength and regular movement to age healthily and remain physically fit and mobile throughout life. Regular exercise can help prevent a broad range of diseases. This has been particularly well established for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and chronic pain syndromes such as persistent low back pain.

Regular physical activity also helps preserve cognitive performance as we age. It improves memory and concentration, enhances sleep quality, reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, and promotes overall well-being. Regular exercise is therefore one of the most important pillars of lifelong health.

Good to know: According to WHO estimates, approximately four to five million premature deaths worldwide could be prevented each year if people were more physically active.

For this reason, physical activity should once again become an integral part of everyday life—for example by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, cycling instead of driving whenever possible, gardening, or taking regular walks.

Alongside regular aerobic exercise, targeted muscle strengthening is particularly important for older adults. Therefore, the WHO recommends that people aged 65 years and older perform balance and coordination exercises at least three days per week in addition to their regular exercise routine in order to reduce the risk of falls and related injuries.

How Often Should You Exercise Each Week?

Sufficient physical activity—the key to healthy aging: Physically active people live longer than those who lead sedentary lifestyles.

Our bodies require muscle strength and regular movement to age healthily and remain fit and mobile throughout life. Specifically, the WHO recommends that adults engage in at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.

Those who prefer more vigorous activity need only 75–150 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week. Examples include jogging, rowing, cycling classes, or other cardiovascular workouts. In addition, strength training should be performed at least twice per week, ideally targeting all major muscle groups.

The WHO recommendations should not be discouraging. They do not mean that everyone must immediately schedule five hours of structured exercise into every week. Rather, these recommendations serve as targets for optimal health. The primary goal is to adopt a generally more active lifestyle than is common in many industrialized countries. According to the WHO, every form of movement matters—every minute of physical activity contributes to healthy aging.

Physically Active People Live Longer Than Sedentary Individuals

Many of us spend evenings sitting in front of the television or browsing the internet for hours while dreaming of living a long and fulfilling life. Unfortunately, we often overlook the fact that physical inactivity and prolonged screen time do little to promote longevity or good health.

On the contrary, our bodies need muscle strength and regular movement to remain healthy, fit, and mobile into old age. According to the latest WHO recommendations, regular strength training combined with around 20 minutes of daily physical activity is sufficient to unlock much of our longevity potential.

You do not need to run marathons or lift heavy weights in the gym. Nevertheless, there is no way around the fact that regular physical activity is essential for maintaining health. According to WHO estimates, four to five million premature deaths worldwide could be prevented each year if people became more physically active.

But how much exercise is actually needed for healthy aging? Which forms of exercise are most beneficial? And which diseases can physical activity help prevent? Based on extensive scientific evidence, the WHO has developed clear recommendations to answer these questions.

Better Health for the Heart and Brain

Regular physical activity can help prevent numerous diseases. Its benefits are especially well documented for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and chronic pain conditions such as persistent low back pain. Regular exercise can also help slow age-related cognitive decline.

Exercise improves memory and concentration, promotes better sleep, alleviates symptoms of depression and anxiety, and enhances overall well-being. These are compelling reasons to make physical activity a lifelong habit—the sooner and the more consistently, the better.

At Least Two and a Half to Five Hours per Week

The WHO specifically recommends that adults engage in at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. Recommended activities include brisk walking, swimming, cycling, and dancing.

Those who prefer vigorous exercise require only 75–150 minutes per week. Suitable activities include jogging, rowing, cycling classes, and other high-intensity cardiovascular exercise.

Focus on Endurance, Strength, and Balance

In addition, strength training should be performed at least twice weekly, ideally targeting all major muscle groups. This may include bodyweight exercises such as push-ups and squats or resistance training with free weights and gym equipment. The primary goal is to build and preserve muscle mass—an increasingly important factor with advancing age.

Regular physical activity and targeted strength training are especially important for older adults. From the age of 65 onward, the WHO also recommends performing balance and coordination exercises at least three times per week to reduce the risk of falls and associated injuries.

Every Minute Counts

The WHO recommendations should not be interpreted as requiring five hours of structured exercise every week. Rather, they provide guidance toward an optimal activity level. The essential objective is to become generally more active than is currently typical in many developed countries. According to the WHO, every minute of movement contributes to healthy aging.

For this reason, more physical activity should be incorporated into everyday life—for example by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, cycling instead of driving, gardening, or taking regular walks. The WHO further recommends gradually increasing both the duration and intensity of these activities over time.

Strength Training: Still Underrated

However, healthy aging is not only about endurance and cardiovascular exercise. According to scientific studies, the health benefits of strength training remain considerably underestimated. Building muscle generally requires at least two dedicated strength-training sessions per week.

Unfortunately, most people fail to meet this recommendation. Fewer than one in five Europeans train their muscles at least twice per week. In Germany, surveys indicate that only about one-third of adults perform strength training at least twice weekly.

Building Muscle for Longevity

Those who dismiss muscular physiques often overlook an important fact: muscle mass naturally declines with age, and muscle mass is directly associated with life expectancy. In other words, individuals with a well-trained, muscular body generally have a greater likelihood of living longer than those who remain sedentary.

The reasons are well established scientifically. Both physical inactivity and age-related muscle loss reduce regenerative capacity, negatively affect metabolism and hormonal balance, and promote chronic inflammation and tissue degeneration. Muscle loss therefore contributes directly to the development of age-related diseases and frailty, reducing not only life expectancy but also quality of life. Fortunately, targeted strength training can substantially slow this physiological decline.

The importance of age-related declines in muscle mass and strength is reflected in the fact that medicine has assigned this condition its own name: sarcopenia. The term encompasses both the loss of muscle tissue and its associated health consequences. As muscle mass and strength decline, functional limitations increase, along with the risk of falls and injury.

In short: Building and maintaining muscle mass not only reduces the risk of falls and frailty but also improves the chances of living a longer, healthier life.

A Protein-Rich Diet Supports Healthy Muscles

Counteracting this process requires targeted muscle-building strategies. The numbers clearly illustrate why: from around the age of 50, people lose an average of 1–2% of their muscle mass and approximately 1.5% of their muscle strength every year.

Strength training alone is not enough to compensate for this decline. A balanced diet is equally important. For healthy muscles, this primarily means ensuring an adequate intake of protein. In addition, sufficient intake of minerals, trace elements, and other essential micronutrients—as well as proper hydration—is crucial.

The impact of your lifestyle on your cells can now be measured directly with the bioAge Test by neotes. Learn more about the relationship between muscle health, metabolism, and aging in our article on Longevity and Metabolism. If you would also like to optimize recovery and stress management, you may find our article Reducing Stress with Nutrition, Meditation, and Micronutrients helpful. In addition, sleep quality plays a crucial role in muscle recovery and healthy aging.

References

1. World Health Organization. WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour. 2020. who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015128
2. Sharples AP, Hughes DC, Deane CS, Saini A, Selman C, Stewart CE, et al. Longevity and Skeletal Muscle Mass: The Role of IGF Signalling, the Sirtuins, Dietary Restriction and Protein Intake. Aging Cell. 2015. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4531066
3. Mendonca GV, Pezarat-Correia P, Vaz JR, Silva L, Almeida ID, Heffernan KS, et al. Impact of Exercise Training on Physiological Measures of Physical Fitness in the Elderly. Current Aging Science. 2016. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27113585
4. Strasser B, Volaklis K, Fuchs D, Burtscher M, et al. Role of Dietary Protein and Muscular Fitness on Longevity and Aging. Aging and Disease. 2018. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5772850
5. Image source: pexels.com