Research
Adherence
Regular physical activity is the most effective lifestyle-behavioral strategy for preserving physiological function with aging, delaying the onset of frailty by up to 30 years compared to sedentary peers.
Prioritize regular physical activity, even if you have been sedentary. Moderate exercise (e.g., 150 minutes/week) significantly impacts life expectancy and can restore health profiles similar to those who were active young. Focus on maintaining muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness to delay frailty.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
Regular physical activity is perhaps the lifestyle-behavioral strategy for which there is the strongest overall evidence of function-preserving effects with aging.
Why this rating
Supported by cross-sectional, longitudinal, and randomized clinical trials in humans.
Source
Physiological geroscience: targeting function to increase healthspan and achieve optimal longevity
Douglas R. Seals et al. · The Journal of Physiology · 2015
DOI 10.1113/jphysiol.2014.282665
narrative_reviewCited 306×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
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