The secret of eternal youth: skin-tight Lycra and a bicycle

It's any exercise actually, but this article is cycle centric.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cycling/the-secret-of-eternal-yo...

"The result was that the cyclists as a group showed few of the typical signs of ageing"

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Permalink Reply by JeffB on January 6, 2015 at 7:01am


Screw the lycra. I'd rather not ride around in underwear


Jeff Schneider said:

I have the bike but not the lycra.  I guess that's why I am just immature but not quite youthful.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on January 6, 2015 at 7:06am

Jeff, I think you look pretty youthful for an 80 year old guy. :-)

Jeff Schneider said:

I have the bike but not the lycra.  I guess that's why I am just immature but not quite youthful.

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on January 6, 2015 at 2:42pm
Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on January 7, 2015 at 1:22am

Tony,

Don't remember seeing it.  Don't miss the part about he was diagnosed with MS--she mentions it briefly. I think she is pretty proud of her MAMIL.

Tony Adams 4 mi said:

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on January 7, 2015 at 7:36am

Hey, no pain, no gain, dude....


JeffB (7+ miles) said:


Screw the lycra. I'd rather not ride around in underwear


Jeff Schneider said:

I have the bike but not the lycra.  I guess that's why I am just immature but not quite youthful.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on January 7, 2015 at 7:57am

There is some truth to the adage, you're as young as you feel, especially if you're on your bike. Psychologically, I'm still a pre-teen, although my libido is not quite as spry. Chronologically, I've been 39 for the past 20 years, going on 21. I opted to follow your suggestion and purchased a few pairs of lycra shorts. When its gets warmer, I'll give them a try. That, along with a little Grecian Formula 16 and I will be ready to roll. 

Jeff Schneider said:

I have the bike but not the lycra.  I guess that's why I am just immature but not quite youthful.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on January 7, 2015 at 9:10am

You gotta love the British sense of humor. One of my favorite lines from the article: "Their numbers are swelling at an alarming rate", in reference to MAMILs.  If it get's much worse, we may be categorized as an invasive species, subject to EPA regulation.

Oddly, though, no mention was made of MAWILs. Now that's an idea I can more easily warm up to.

Tony Adams 4 mi said:

Permalink Reply by Marc A. Irwin on January 8, 2015 at 12:32pm

I don't have any use for Lycra but the the idea is sound.  I recently made this comment on another forum about the topic and later this study:  I've been cycling almost constantly for 42 years. I've been telling people for years that I feel the same as I did in my thirties. I never really have any health problems so it's been easy to put off going in for routine, let alone detailed check ups. I finally scheduled the full routine, poke, probe show and tell, including blood profiles, PSA, Colonoscopy and whatever else. 
All the numbers are exactly as they were the past 30 years. I have 6% more bodyfat than I care for, but that's below average for a 30 year old and waaaay low on the optimal level for a 62 year old. Just a dirty old man trapped in the body of a thirty year old.
It's not hereditary. I have two cousins who are each within a year or so. When we were younger, we looked enough alike that people thought we were triplets. They are now skinny legged, pot bellied, grey haired old men who sit around talking about their medical problems and treatments. I am not. I am the one who has had totally sedentary office jobs throughout my career and the only lifestyle difference has been cycling (commuting/touring) and weight training. 

Marc

Permalink Reply by Haddon on January 8, 2015 at 2:10pm

This effect has to do with Telomers, they are sequences at the ends of your DNA.  They inform cells when to die. Exercise results in these sequences being repaired thus extending life.  Exercise regularly undertaken literally extends you life.

"Results Leukocyte telomere length was positively associated with increasing physical activity level in leisure time (P < .001); this association remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, socioeconomic status, and physical activity at work. The LTLs of the most active subjects were 200 nucleotides longer than those of the least active subjects (7.1 and 6.9 kilobases, respectively; P = .006). This finding was confirmed in a small group of twin pairs discordant for physical activity level (on average, the LTL of more active twins was 88 nucleotides longer than that of less active twins; P = .03). " Source

People who did a moderate amount of exercise -- about 100 minutes a week of activity such as tennis, swimming or running -- had telomeres that on average looked like those of someone about five or six years younger than those who did the least -- about 16 minutes a week. Those who did the most -- doing about three hours a week of moderate to vigorous activity-- had telomeres that appeared to be about nine years younger than those who did the least. As the amount of exercise increased, the telomere length increased.

VIA

http://www.edinformatics.com/news/exercise_and_aging.htm

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