1: Moving our bodies isn’t just smart—it’s essential for health and longevity.
“When it comes to movement, the research is clear,” Sahil Bloom writes in his inspiring book The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life.
“In a 2012 paper published in the Journal of Aging Research, researchers found that all-cause mortality was reduced by a striking 30 to 35 percent in the physically active as compared to the physically inactive,” Sahil notes.
In other words, movement is a powerful tool for living longer.
Research done by the American Heart Association analyzed thirty years of medical records and mortality data from over 116,000 adults.
“They found,” Sahil notes, “that people who followed minimum guidelines for physical activity (moderate-intensity activity for 150 to 300 minutes per week or vigorous-intensity activity for 75 to 150 minutes per week) reduced their risk of early death by up to 21 percent; those who exercised two to four times these minimum levels lowered their risk by up to 31 percent.”
The bottom line? “A little bit of exercise goes a long way and a lot of exercise goes a longer way,” he shares.
2: There are three areas of movement we are smart to pay attention to: Cardio, strength training, and stability/flexibility.
Movement Area #1: Cardiovascular Training
“The term cardiovascular,” Sahil explains, “means anything related to the heart or blood vessels.”
There are two specific areas we want to focus on: Low intensity and high intensity.
Low-intensity cardio training relies on the oxygen we breathe to sustain activity. Also called “Aerobic.”
“In simple terms, during aerobic cardiovascular training,” he writes, we “breathe harder to take in more oxygen, and our heart pumps faster so it can efficiently deliver oxygen-rich blood to the muscles.”
This type of exercise strengthens our hearts and lungs.
Examples of low-intensity aerobic training include hiking, biking, fast walking, jogging, swimming, and rowing.
“Aerobic cardiovascular training is a great entry point for those new to movement,” Sahil observes, “as it can be effectively completed at a conversational pace (a pace where you can hold a conversation, sometimes referred to as zone 2 training).”
High-intensity cardio brings about the breakdown of sugars to sustain activity. Also called “Anaerobic.”
“During higher-intensity anaerobic cardiovascular training, our lungs cannot provide enough oxygen to meet your body’s demands,” he notes, “so the body breaks down stored sugars for energy.”
High-intensity training is referred to as zone 5 training. It “involves short bursts of intense activity (biking, rowing, running, lifting, and so on) with extended recovery periods in between,” Sahil writes.
If we are just starting an exercise program, we may want to start with lower-intensity exercises so we can enjoy being with friends while we work out and avoid the intense discomfort that can come with higher-intensity exercises.
Once we achieve some consistency, we can layer in higher-intensity exercises.
Movement Area #2: Strength Training
Strength training, also known as resistance training, builds overall muscle, power, and strength.
“Resistance exercise and strength training is the number one way to combat neuromuscular aging,” says Cal State Fullerton Professor Andy Galpin, an expert in the science of performance.
There are a variety of options for strength training, including:
- Body-weight exercises, including push-ups, pull-ups, and squats
- Free weights, including dumbbells and kettlebells
- Compound barbell movements, like squats, dead lifting, bench-pressing, and overhead pressing
- Machines, i.e., equipment that keeps us in a guided range of motion to target specific muscles
“The development and preservation of muscle, power, and strength is critical for a healthy, enjoyable life,” Sahil notes.
If we are just starting out, we are smart to focus on proper technique.
“As we advance in our strength and training capacity,” he suggests, “we can progress to more advanced movements and add weight to increase the intensity.”
Movement Area #3: Stability and Flexibility
“Stability is a foundation of proper movement, as it enables the body to move and deliver force efficiently and effectively,” Sahil notes.
Flexibility training improves our muscles’ and joints’ range of motion, leading to better balance, posture, and physical performance while also reducing pain and inflammation.
“We can build stability and flexibility through dedicated stretching and movement routines and dynamic activities like yoga and Pilates.
3: To make movement less intimidating, Sahil suggests a simple video-game analogy: there are three achievable levels, from beginner to advanced.
We begin by executing Level 1 consistently before taking on Level 2, and eventually, Level 3.
The Three Levels of Movement are:
- Level 1: We move our bodies for at least 30 minutes per day.
- Level 2: We move our bodies for a minimum of thirty minutes per day, and we engage in two to three specific cardiovascular training sessions per week and one to two resistance-training sessions per week.
- Level 3: We move our bodies for a minimum of thirty minutes per day, and we engage in three or more cardiovascular training sessions per week (for a total of at least 120 minutes of aerobic training and 20 minutes of high intensity training), and a minimum of three resistance sessions per week utilizing stability and flexibility training.
Sahil writes: “Building a movement routine today will allow us to live a better present and prepare for a better future. Every single day that we delay is a missed opportunity that we’ll never get back. The present and future we imagine are within reach–but only if we take action now!”
More tomorrow!
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Reflection: If I’m honest about my habits, am I giving my body the daily movement it needs to live longer, feel stronger, and enjoy life more?
Action: Choose one Movement Area. Exercise it daily this week and track your progress.
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