High Intensity Exercise Makes You Younger!?

WOD:   4/27/17
 

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Air Squats
20 Box Jumps
30 Double-unders

Today we have got Cindy (5/10/15) plus some extra cardio fun (20/25)!

Want to get younger? Do some CrossFit then!

Check out this article about how high intensity exercise is good for your brain and reduces the effects of aging!

"In a study published last year in the journal Neuroscience Letters, for example, a group of researchers from the University of Texas investigated the effects of high-intensity exercise on a protein called BDNF, short for brain-derived neurotrophic factor. BDNF is involved in brain-cell survival and repair, mood regulation, and cognitive functions such as learning and memory; low levels of BDNF have been associated with depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. In the study subjects, all healthy young adults, a session of high-intensity exercise was linked to both higher BDNF levels and improvements in cognitive functioning."

"Even the physical benefits of high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, go beyond the typical health improvements associated with normal exercise. HIIT may be the closest thing we’ve got to the fountain of youth: In research  presented last month in the journal Cell Metabolism, a team of Mayo Clinic researchers suggested that it might help to reverse the cellular signs of aging.

Here’s how it works: As we age, our mitochondria — the “powerhouses” of the cell — stop functioning as well as they used to, leading to declines in energy level and exercise capacity. In the Mayo Clinic study, using groups of younger (18–30) and older (65–80) subjects, researchers measured the impact of three routines — high-intensity interval exercise, strength training, and a combined lower-intensity strength/cardiovascular program — on cell function, cardiovascular fitness, insulin sensitivity, and muscle mass.

At the end of the 12-week study period, the interval trainers showed improvements in circulation, heart function, and lung health. However, while the younger HIIT group experienced a 49 percent increase in mitochondrial capacity — a marker of the cell’s ability to produce energy —high-intensity exercise was the only routine that boosted mitochondrial function in the older group, by an incredible 69 percent. (The older group of high-intensity exercisers also showed an improvement in insulin sensitivity, a marker of diabetes risk.)"

Read the full article here - https://tinyurl.com/mw7bokb

Article found by Joey Kimdon