Judging from reader responses to last week’s post on a possible way to slow down aging, many of us would jump at the chance to stop the clock- or at least add more time to allow us to enjoy a longer life. Anti-aging “biohackers” are experimenting with ways to stay younger for longer, and add years- if not decades- to maintain a healthy, active, and vibrant long life. It’s even gotten to the point where scientific meetings are attracting overflow crowds (and police to control the crowds) as so many are eager to understand the scientific progress being made in this area. The reality is, however, that practical applications of current scientific endeavors are probably years away (not to mention ultra-expensive) so most of us currently in our later years won’t benefit in extending our health and life spans with these tech advances.

So is all hope lost for those who are already senior citizens? Absolutely not. We all currently have access to the one activity that promises (with scientific data to back it up) to give us more years on the clock and better health as we’re living longer. That activity is exercise. In fact, the health and longevity benefits of exercise have decades of scientific validity behind them, so you can feel quite confident that just by moving and adding physical activity to your daily life you’ll be able to join the community of “biohackers” with ease. In fact, as one expert makes clear, “Many self-described “biohackers”- drawn to experimental lifestyle changes and medications to engineer longer, healthier lives, count exercise as the most critical tool in their arsenal.” And just recently scientific evidence was published demonstrating that exercise in older adults can even slow the aging process at the molecular level.

Whether you’re looking to extend your physical health, cognitive functioning, or both, exercise can be counted on to boost your abilities and sustain you for the long(er) run. With regard to physical well-being, we know that exercise contributes to muscle and bone growth (lessening the likelihood of physical falls and injuries), boosts your immune system, and lowers levels of inflammation, for starters. And when it comes to brain health? The evidence continues to mount about how exercise can keep your mind and memory strong and resilient. Just recently, Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki (an expert in the field of brain health and exercise) ran a small experiment to underscore the value of even a single session of exercise, finding that those of her students who engaged in a vigorous 50-minute bike ride had better functioning in their immediate reasoning, memory, and problem-solving skills than those who spent the hour watching tv- and those benefits lasted up to 2 hours beyond the period of exercise. So next time you have a lecture to attend, try preloading with some exercise so that you can really soak up the educational lesson. To find out more, click here. And to catch up on all of our valuable agebuzz content on the benefits of exercise, read here. 

As a reminder, inserting exercise into your daily life doesn’t need to be a logistical challenge. Even a casual walk can be jazzed up a bit to become a more vigorous form of exercise or you can call upon a friend or loved one to join you in a game of golf or spend some time helping you garden. The ultimate goal is not to transform yourself into an uber-athlete but rather to recognize that regular physical movement is probably the best way to ensure you’re entering into the longevity club. And for some other tricks to “biohack” your way in, power up your laptop and click here.