The 3 best types of exercise for longevity.

New years Day 4 years ago,

I was out skiing for the holiday with friends.

I went up into the air and fell directly on my shoulder.

Right away, I could feel that something was off...

I tore 3 ligaments near the shoulder resulting in a dislocated clavicle.

In my 20 years of extreme snowboarding, this is the only serious injury I’ve had.

Okay, there may have also been a concussion when I was younger.

But I still see sliding down the mountain as a benefit to my long-term health.

At 30 years old, I’m still willing to go airborne (assuming there’s soft snow at the bottom).

1. Exercise you enjoy

Of course, sending it off a cliff comes with risk.

But the feeling of flying through the air is hard to beat:

-Stillness
-Feel like a kid
-Complete concentration
-Trains balance and leg strength
-Feel like Superman (builds confidence)

Of course, we all need to draw the line somewhere. For example the people who climb mountains without ropes have clearly taken finding flow too far.

Most people think taking risks on the mountain is a bad idea, but the guy sitting in the ski lodge is saying the same thing about anyone who chooses to ski. To me, the greatest risk is sitting at home and not finding out what you’re capable of.

6 weeks in a sling after my shoulder surgery was hard. But my previous training allowed me to recover quickly. After just a couple of months, I was back to performing at a high level.

The guy who hurts himself on the mountain always gets back to moving. But the guy in the ski lodge will never fully recover from chronic joint pain.

The best exercise is the one you enjoy doing.

2. Zone 2 cardio

The 2nd category of exercise for longevity is sustained cardio.

Longevity research suggests endurance exercise is the most valuable for heart health.

The longer the better but a minimum of 10 continuous minutes.

Zone 2 cardio is defined as 60-70% of your max heart rate (220-age).

So for me, that’s 114-133 beats per minute.

And if you’re like me and would rather be in the moment than tracking numbers, zone 2 means you should be able to maintain a conversation.

You're giving consistent effort but not pushing yourself into heavy breathing.

This is one area of my fitness that I’m lacking.

I’m a huge fan of walking.

But it likely isn’t enough to get my heart rate high enough (over 114 bpm).

I often walk for physical recovery and mental relaxation.

But here’s a few ways I’ve found to increase walking intensity:

-Find elevation
-Increase speed
-Walk with weight

How you move is up to you as long you keep moving.

1. Funcitonal ability

The 3rd category of exercise for longevity is your ability to move:

The yogis are right you need flexibility. The gym bros are right you need strength. And the athletes are right too you need to be coordinated

If you’re interested in exercising for longevity, start with doing the thing that you love.

And then train to avoid joint pain:

-Stretch
-Lift weights
-Walk every day
-Full range of motion exercise
-Train with the intention of improving

Hope this helps,

Tyler Van Acker, Doctor or PT

PS

Doing the thing that brings us joy is the best exercise for longevity.

Which is why I created the 60-day foot pain program.

To help people like you get rid of foot pain get back to an active lifestyle.

If this sounds like it might be of use to you,

Click the link below to get on the waitlist: