Yes, aging may be inevitable, but there is one proactive action you can take dramatically slow the process down.
As we age, we experience hormonal changes to the body, but one in particular has a multiplier effect — and that is human growth hormone (HGH). Our bodies produce a lot of it when we’re kids and in a growth stage and then when we’re done growing it diminishes quite rapidly and continuously.
Why Should we care?
HGH is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pituitary gland. It aids in cell regeneration, and cell reproduction. It helps to maintain, build, and repair healthy tissue in the body, brain and organs. Professional athletes and body builders realize that it helps to build muscle mass, boost metabolism, and burn fat for optimum physical performance.
But the net of it for us normal people is that HGH is a youth hormone and higher levels of it purportedly have anti-aging effects.
HGH levels Decline with age
How much does it decline? A lot! For example a pre-puberty youth can produce about 1,500 micrograms of HGH per day, entering adulthood, the level begins to drop to about 20% at age 30. Elderly people can only produce about 50 micrograms per day, or somewhere around 3.3% of that early baseline.
What can we do about it?
Well, we can ignore this fact and keep getting more frail, and wrinkled. Or, we can try to boost our HGH to maintain our strength and vitality. Although HGH injections are available, let us suggest a natural means to boosting. It’s called high intensity exercise.
FitCommerce was first made aware of this concept by a contributing article by personal trainer Phil Campbell. This was shortly after he published his seminal book: Ready Set Go! Synergy Fitness.
In case you missed it, here are some excerpts.
Clinical Research
There is a continual degradation of functioning cells that is commonly referred to as “aging”. The DNA and the cells they reproduce are no longer perfect copies but are damaged copies. Many age-related diseases are also attributed to this occurrence.
In one study, researchers compared HGH levels in several ways — resting (for a baseline measurement), after a 6-second cycle sprint, and after 30-second cycle sprint. Researchers also measured growth hormone for hours afterwards to see how long HGH stayed in participant’s bodies after exercise.
The key is that this is an anaerobic exercise, which is at an oxygen deprived state rather than an aerobic exercise which supplies plentiful oxygen such as jogging.
The 6-second sprint method elevated HGH somewhat, but didn’t come close to the body’s release potential. The 30-second all-out effort sprint experiment increased HGH by 530% over resting baseline and 450% over the lesser intensity 6-second sprint.
Like earlier research studies, HGH stayed elevated for 1.5 to 2 hours after the sprinting program. And according to the researchers at the University of VA, the HGH released during exercise targets body fat for up to two hours after training.
Anaerobic sprint workouts can be performed in many different ways — cycling, swimming, skiing, running, XC skiing, to a lesser extent power walking. It can be performed in the gym on an elliptical trainer, stationary bike, recumbent bike, or a treadmill.
FitCommerce Takeaway
HGH is a powerful anti-aging (and anti-middle-aging), body fat reducing, muscle toning, hormone in your body. And this vital hormone can be increased by 530% with specific types of anaerobic fitness training. Natural is always better, don’t take injections or supplements until you try this method.
Coincidentally, David Sinclair, the noted Harvard researcher on why we age and how to prevent such, suggests that our bodies benefit to certain types of stress to stimulate pathways to reduce aging. Of the several, the two simple ones he put forth were intermittent fasting and exercising until you’re “out of breath”. A nice tie in to Phil’s theory.
A FitCommerce suggested protocol
Here’s a suggested protocol that we here at FitCommerce subscribe to (for the warm months of the year if you live up north). Find a well maintained soccer or athletic field that is devoid of anything but soft grass, or find a nice beach. There’s added benefit if you also sprint barefoot.
Mark off about 100 yards. Sprint as hard and as fast as you can for the 100 yards, or whatever you’re capable of. You will be totally out of breath, then walk back to your starting place, you’ll recover your breath on the way back, then do it all again. In the beginning you may only be able to do this 2-3 times, build up to 5-6 times twice a week. Make this a habit for life.
At age fifty-something Phil Campbell used to sprint up the stairs at a football stadium. This is for you hardcore jocks that really want to push the envelope.
Simple Habits to Slow Down the Effects of Aging
About Phil Campbell
M.S., M.A., C-PT, American College Of Sports Medicine, A certified personal trainer, Phil Campbell works with athletes to improve speed and agility. He also spent two decades of his career as a senior hospital administrator where his access to renowned researchers and scientists enabled him to infuse his training systems with hard data. He is the author of Ready Set Go! Synergy Fitness which can be purchased on Amazon.