Centenarians: This daily “exercise” can prolong life

Secret of the Centenarians
If you do this exercise every day, you can live longer

Some people are still fit on their feet and in their heads even as centenarians. What is her secret? Researchers have been investigating this question for a long time. In fact, there is an everyday exercise that helps to stay healthy and flexible for a long time – and possibly to live to be 100 years old.

You don’t have to dress up in gym clothes or schedule fitness time into your calendar. You do this exercise on the side – and yet it can have a positive effect on your life expectancy.

It’s actually no secret: climbing stairs keeps you fit. But the impact of walking up and down incline routes and incorporating them into your daily routine is amazing.

The Secret of the Centenarians

For the current Netflix documentary “Living 100 Years: the Secret of the Blue Zones”, the writer Dan Buettner traveled to the places around the world with the highest life expectancy, the so-called “Blue Zones”. These are regions where people live much longer than average – and where there is the highest percentage of centenarians. The filmmakers wanted to find out which lifestyle characteristics lead to such an old age.

It turned out that there is a connection between the steepness of an area and people’s life expectancy. This is how people in Sardinian mountain villages do sports without being aware of it. Simply because they run up and down the mountains and hills around their village every day. In addition, they had to climb several dozen steps every day because they lived in two- or three-story houses.

Longevity: “Don’t stop walking”

Many years ago, Buettner wrote about the amazing Blue Zones in National Geographic written. In it he introduced a Sardinian shepherd whose secret was to “stay active” and never stop “walking, chopping, trimming, repairing.” Together with the scientist Michel Poulain, Buettner identified five “Blue Zones” worldwide:

Poulain had one years ago study published about these special zones, together with the scientists Gianni Pes and Anne Herm. “The population in these regions has a traditional lifestyle with high levels of physical activity even beyond the age of 80”it says there.

When asked about his ultimate longevity tip, Pes told lifestyle magazine preferred: “My best advice is: love your friends, love your family members and be physically active – outdoors if possible, like climbing the hills of Sardinia.”

In everyday life this means for us: Ignore the elevator and climb stairs wherever possible. And rejoice over every hill that quickens our breathing.

“I generally use the stairs,” said a 94-year-old who lives in the “Blue Zone” Loma Linda to the “FAZ”. “Climbing stairs keeps me fit and flexible.” Health is a question of attitude.

Climbing stairs as a survival advantage

Speaking of attitude. If you want to increase the effect, you should also activate your arms and move them vigorously when climbing stairs, says “Vogue”. Therapist Patricia Garin told the magazine that climbing stairs is “a very simple movement that you should do every day.” Climbing up and down is an excellent workout for the legs, buttocks and the entire lower body, as well as a good cardiovascular workout.

By the way: Each step when climbing stairs counts as three steps, says researcher Günther Samitz, who has a meta-study in a press release about the effects of moderate everyday movements. “Every step contributes to the burning of energy and thus increases health.” He and his team reviewed 80 studies with a total of 1.3 million participants. The conclusion: “Any activity is better than none and even mundane things provide a survival advantage.”

Sources used: vogue.de, preferredmagazine.ca, pressetext.com, faz.net, bluezones.com

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Bridget