3 Key Strategies to Increase Longevity Through Exercise

By Eduardo André

Exercise Physiologist

Average life expectancy continues to rise, but living longer doesn't necessarily mean living better. The concept of healthy longevity values quality over quantity. It aims to maintain autonomy, lucidity and the pleasure of living - something intrinsically linked to our habits. In this respect, physical exercise stands out as one of the most important promoters of a long and healthy life.

In this article, I share with you three key strategies for increasing longevity through exercise.

1. Regular Strength Training: Muscle is Health

For many years, cardiorespiratory exercise on ergometers (e.g. bicycle, elliptical, treadmill) has been promoted as the main public health factor. Despite this prominence, the latest science is clear: strength training (aka bodybuilding) is an essential pillar of longevity. Often looked down upon, strength training is now recommended for disease prevention and health promotion.

Several population studies have shown the importance of the amount of muscle tissue, as well as muscle strength, in reducing all-cause mortality. Why? Muscle goes beyond its mechanical properties, it is an endocrine organ that regulates metabolism and impacts the body as a whole. In addition, it contributes to the prevention of various prevalent conditions that reduce quality of life, such as osteoporosis and sarcopenia (age-related loss of muscle mass), improves insulin sensitivity and reduces the risk of falls - promoting autonomy in the senior population.

Practical recommendation: 2-3 strength training sessions a week involving the major muscle groups, with gradual progression and supervision whenever possible.

2. Movement: The fight against sedentary lifestyles

Did you know that you can train for three hours a day and still be considered sedentary? All you have to do is spend the rest of your time sitting down. And be aware that this ‘invisible’ sedentary lifestyle is often overlooked. It's worth remembering that a sedentary lifestyle is an independent risk factor for early mortality. However, if you're like most people, you have to sit for longer than 30 minutes. So let's help you break sedentary behaviour!

The research reveals that interrupting sitting time with breaks of even light physical activity, such as walking for 2 minutes every 30 or 60 minutes, improves some cardiometabolic markers.

Practical recommendation: Get up, walk, actively stretch, climb stairs. Move throughout the day. Aim to raise your heart rate to at least 50 per cent of your maximum. Another variable you can control is the number of steps you take each day (minimum target: 6,000; ideal: 10,000) - but what's more important than adopting these strategies is the regularity and intention with which you do it.

3. Conscious cardio: from HIIT to walking

Cardiovascular exercise remains a cornerstone in promoting healthy longevity. But do we practise it in the right way? Intense exercise is pro-inflammatory and tends to reduce average life expectancy. However, cardiorespiratory capacity is a predictor of greater longevity. The key is to adapt the intensity and volume of training according to each person's profile. You can follow different paths, but they aim to optimise healthy longevity. See how different approaches contribute, through different mechanisms, to a long life:

High-intensity interval training (HIIT): linked to improvements in mitochondrial function, cardiorespiratory capacity (VO₂max) and cardiometabolic health - all predictors of longevity.

Conscious walking: low intensity optimises aerobic metabolism and reduces sympathetic arousal - the latter associated with various cardiac disorders. Walking in nature, breathing deeply, observing and focusing on the present moment - reduces chronic stress, improves the function of the vagal autonomic nervous system - contributing to psychophysiological and emotional balance.

Practical advice: 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate cardiovascular activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity (or a combination of both). Value a conscious choice of exercise - according to your goals and, above all, the needs of your body and mind.

Conclusion: Conscious exercise as a philosophy of life.

Living longer and better depends largely on the choices we make every day. Small habits can generate big results. Exercise isn't just a tool - it's an expression of self-care and a conscious investment in promoting healthy longevity. In this context, when exercise is accompanied by an intentional philosophy of life, both take on a deeper purpose: they become an ideal - something I like to call Conscious Longevity.