Be as fit as you are in your 40s by the time you're 60 - with five simple exercises

A fit body needs fit joints. Wolfgang Schillings knows all about this. The Hamburger SV team doctor explains how you can maintain your strength well into old age.

The credo of today’s society is: grow old, but don’t look old. The hair is dyed, the skin is tanned, wrinkles and other age imperfections are concealed – this is how you can easily squeeze out ten years. The Anti-aging-The industry is booming and what better compliment than looking younger than you are? But as we all know, optics aren’t everything.

Because what use is an elaborately painted car that only makes sputtering progress? Likewise, it makes no sense to invest a lot of time and money in your appearance if your heart, joints or muscles are no longer working and you can hardly move.

Staying 40 for 20 years – the secret of the sports medicine pioneer

Prof. Dr. already knew that. med. Dr. hc mult. Wildor Hollmann, one of the pioneers of sports medicine, from whom the following quote comes:

“With appropriate physical training, it is possible to stay 40 years old for 20 years.”

Hollmann not only advanced sports medicine through his diverse research activities and publications, but also led an eventful life – in the truest sense of the word. As a co-founder of the “Fitness Movement” and a passionate table tennis player, he stayed fit well into his old age and was 96 years old. Coincidence? Certainly not!

Exercise protects your joints

There are now countless studies that prove that exercise is healthy. One of the world’s best-known observational studies, which started in the 1940s, is the so-called “Framingham Heart Study”. More than 5,000 healthy residents of the small American town of Framingham were examined every two years and asked about their living conditions and habits.

More than 25 years later, researchers were able to prove, based on a huge amount of data, that exercise effectively protects the cardiovascular system.

To name just a few examples: Sport strengthens the immune system, reduces the risk of colon, lung and breast cancer, inhibits harmful inflammatory processes in the body, reduces the risk of

Osteoporosis,
broken bones,
Type 2 diabetes diseases,
strokes,
arteriosclerosis
and thrombosis

and has also been proven to have an increased release of the body’s own “happiness hormones” serotonin and endorphins positive effect on mental health. This leads to less depression, anxiety and stress and to more balance and better resilience.

The key to long life

If that still doesn’t get you moving, you might be convinced by the fact that regular exercise actually has a life-extending effect. For example, a summary of several specialist articles (“Review”) from 2015 shows that top athletes live on average five years longer than non-athletes.

But it doesn’t have to be competitive sport: according to a widely cited American study, just 20 minutes of additional exercise per day can significantly extend life.

WHO recommends 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate exercise every week

The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends being active for at least 150 to 300 minutes every week to prevent illness. This refers to aerobic activity of moderate to high intensity or alternatively 75 to 150 minutes of aerobic activity of high intensity.

For additional health benefits, the WHO recommends “strength training involving all major muscle groups” on two or more days per week of at least moderate intensity.

Smooth through everyday life

The joints also benefit from this combination of endurance and strength training in several ways: Regular exercise ensures that the synovial fluid flows better and is constantly mixed. This so-called synovia is transported deep into the interior of the joint to the articular cartilage and can therefore better nourish it and lubricate the joint surfaces, which ultimately leads to better shock absorption of the joint.

In addition, just like muscles and bones, the articular cartilage adapts to recurring training stimuli and becomes more resilient, can perform its buffer function better and is less susceptible to injuries and wear and tear.

Wolfgang Schillings is a specialist in physical and rehabilitative medicine at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf and has been looking after Hamburger SV players for more than a decade. In his guide “Fit and strong joints“ (Stiftung Warentest) explains Schillings how to specifically counteract pain – with individually adaptable exercises, self-help tips and know-how suitable for everyday use.

Relaxed and slim

But it’s not just the cartilage that benefits from exercise. Regular exercise relieves annoying and painful tension in the muscles surrounding the joint and also strengthens them. In addition to the muscles, the tendons and ligaments also become elastic and strong at the same time.

In this way, they support the joint in its tasks and stabilize the joint capsule, which in turn ensures an even distribution of pressure and protects the joint from overloading. And don’t forget: As a rule, regular training also reduces fatty tissue, which means there is less weight on the joints and the cartilage has to buffer less with every step.

A wrinkle? No problem!

And the best thing about all of this is: It’s never too late for a better quality of life and a longer life through sport, because those who exercise benefit regardless of age or previous illnesses!

The key to this also lies in health and the harmonious interaction of the more than 120 joints and the associated muscles in our body – it’s best to start with the following five exercises today instead of getting annoyed about a new wrinkle on your face.