How to Look and Feel Younger Next Year

Biologically speaking, there is no such thing as aging. That is not what we've been told by the media. The biologist would argue that there is only growth or decay, not aging. The way to choose growth and NOT decay is to exercise.

You stress your muscles when you exercise. In fact, you slightly injure your muscles. At first read, this seems bad. It's not. The stress of exercise is good. Why? When you injure your muscles, your body builds them back up a little stronger. Your body needs to store a bit more energy for tomorrow. It needs to build more tiny blood vessels inside the muscle. Guess what that's called...growth, the opposite of decay (aging).

Here's a three level plan to help your body grow and stay young. It'll work whether you're 19 or 91. As with any change in your routine that involves increased stress, check with your doctor.

Level 1

Do long and slow aerobic exercise for 45 minutes. You should not be doing anything that causes discomfort. Get your heart rate up to 60-65 percent of your maximum and keep it there for the 45 minutes. Maximum heart rate -- subtract your age from 220. The beauty of this method is aerobic exercise can be just about anything that gets your juices flowing. Everybody thinks of stationary bikes, treadmills, stair climbers, and elliptical trainers at a gym. There's nothing wrong with these, but you could also walk, swim, ride a bike, or play a leisurely game of tennis. The point is to do whatever you need to get your heart rate up to 60-65 percent for 45 minutes. The aging process is what we're after, not any speed records. If at first you can't do 45 minutes, work up to it. What's the hurry. Next year, you'll be younger! You need to do this routine six days a week.

Level 2

This is similar to level 1. Do your 45 minutes of long and slow aerobic exercise four days a week. No change there except you've decreased to four days. In addition to the aerobic exercise, you do 45 minutes of weight training two days a week. Warm up is important here before you tackle those weights. You probably need the services of a trainer until you know what you're doing in the weight room. Once you gain the knowledge, you can buy a set of weights and do the training at home.

Level 3

Here is the final level for the stop the decaying (aging) process and bringing out the younger you. You are still doing your 45 minute routine six days a week. The change is you can mix it up. For two days a week, do your 45 minutes long and slow aerobic routine. For the other two days (you're still doing four days of aerobic training), bump up your level of exercise. Your goal here is 70-85 percent of your maximum heart rate. At some point, you may want to experiment with what the trainers call interval training. Go for 85-100 percent of max heart rate for a couple minutes and see what it feels like. No rush with this, just play around with it occasionally. The weight training is the same as level 2...45 minutes for two days a week. Why not try your aerobic and weight training the same day once in awhile?

The biggest difference with level 3 is this special bonus. Choose a nice day once a month and do an extra-long and slow aerobic exercise. There are lots of choices here. Take an extra long two hour walk to that park you've passed in a car. Try a three-hour bike ride down a scenic country road. Be creative here and have fun.

Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley & Henry S Lodge, MD