You need not view exercise as “punishment” for eating habits; see it for what it actually is: a formidable force against aging.
Who wouldn’t want that?
Yet more research supports that exercise is the best anti-aging “drug.”
When people exercise with passion, it isn’t always about burning calories or building a “calorie bank” for an upcoming vacation.
It’s not always about body image insecurities or wanting to get thinner and thinner.
Let’s face it: Nobody likes the idea of getting old — or feeling old.
Must-Read Research
Research, published in the journal Aging (2025), and led by Takuji Kawamura from Tohoku University, shows that consistent workouts and building fitness may even reverse certain markers of aging.
Scientists measure aging basically two ways.
- Chronological age: number of birthdays you’ve had
- Biological age: how healthy your cells and tissues are.
We can even add a third way: functional age, which would be how well your body moves throughout the day, particularly during certain tasks.
For instance, can you deftly leap over puddles?
Can you trot down flights of stairs with the nimbleness of a ballerina?
Can you load heavy bags into a big garbage can with little effort?
How about briskly walking across a parking lot that’s slightly uphill, while holding a heavy bag in each hand?
Biological Age
Biological age is measured with “epigenetic clocks,” tools that study chemical changes on your DNA called methylation.
These changes can switch genes on or off and are strongly tied to how quickly your body is aging inside.
The research paper makes it clear that all movement is good, but structured exercise — like thrice-weekly workouts at the gym, or consistent dedicated days for jogging or fitness classes — does far more to slow down this molecular aging process.
The overly generic “get moving” is good advice for couch potatoes to get them launched, but is far from being the be-all, end-all, for combating the aging process.
Fitness levels, especially cardiovascular endurance, are closely linked to a younger biological age.
Studies
In animal experiments, mice that did structured workouts had healthier muscles at a cellular level.
In humans, even short-term exercise programs showed impressive results.
One study found that sedentary middle-age women were able to turn back the clock by two years after just eight weeks of combined cardio and strength training.
Another study revealed that older men with higher oxygen uptake levels, which is a measure of cardiovascular health, were biologically much younger than their peers.
Organs, not just Muscles
Exercise seems to slow aging in multiple organs, including the heart, liver, fat tissue and even the gut.
Olympic athletes, for example, show slower biological aging than non-athletes, suggesting that long-term, consistent training has lasting benefits.
Nevertheless, what’s not known is what specific types of workouts have the biggest anti-aging effects.
Some people insist it’s intense weightlifting, while others insist it’s trail running.
There are those who’ll put yoga at the top of the list, while others believe it’s hard-style martial arts, Zumba or CrossFit.
Exercise Is Not Punishment: Crazy Idea!
Freepik
Whoever on earth came up with the notion that exercise is a form of punishment related to eating habits, body weight or body image?
It’s really very unfortunate that some influencers on Instagram and TikTok have been spreading the idea that exercise = punishing oneself for feeling insecure about how their body looks.
But even if you work out in the name of keeping your weight controlled or feeling self-conscious about your inner thighs, upper arms or tummy, those chemical changes on your DNA called methylation will still slow down!
This means a slowed-down molecular process that results in slower aging.
The paper points out, though, that ultimately, it’s a personalized workout plan that would be the best.
Someone with a bum knee shouldn’t be running in the mountains, while not everyone would enjoy a kick-butt martial arts class.
The bottom line? Staying active isn’t just about feeling fit today — it’s one of the best ways we know to keep your body younger on the inside, adding not just years to your life, but life (high functionality) to your years – whether or not you get hit by a meteor jogging to the gym.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness, where she was also a group fitness instructor, she trained clients of all ages and abilities for fat loss and maintaining it, muscle and strength building, fitness, and improved cardiovascular and overall health.
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