The SIMPLEST Way To LIVE LONGER (Science Explained)

Summary

The video script emphasizes the simplicity of achieving health benefits through regular lifting and walking. It debunks the myth that intense workouts are necessary for good health, highlighting that just an hour of lifting per week can significantly reduce the risk of all-cause mortality. Walking, often underestimated, can also lead to substantial health improvements, especially when combined with resistance training. The script encourages viewers to be physically active, eat well, and maintain a healthy lifestyle for overall well-being.

Takeaways

• 🏋️ Lifting weights and walking are simple yet effective ways to improve overall health and fitness.
• 💓 Resistance training can positively impact cardiovascular health by improving blood pressure and reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
• 🦴 Lifting increases bone density, helping to prevent osteoporosis and reduce the risk of fractures, especially in older adults.
• 🚶 Walking, when done consistently, can lead to similar health benefits as more intense exercises like running.
• 🌟 Just an hour of lifting per week can lead to a 15% reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality.
• 💪 Lifting can improve body composition, muscle mass, strength, and muscular endurance, which is crucial for maintaining independence and mobility as we age.
• 🌿 Resistance training can alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improve overall mood and cognitive function.
• 👣 Walking 40 to 60 minutes four times a week can lead to substantial improvements in fitness, even increasing V2 Max if done briskly.
• 🍽️ For optimal health, combine physical activity with a diet rich in whole foods and around 30 to 40 grams of fiber per day.
• 💤 Ensure adequate sleep (6 to 8 hours per night) and maintain a healthy body composition for comprehensive health benefits.
• 🏃‍♂️ Even if you can't meet all health guidelines, striving to be physically active will significantly contribute to your health.

Q & A

What is the universal goal that people generally desire?

The universal goal that people generally desire is to live a longer and healthier life.

What are some common misconceptions about achieving health?

A common misconception is that one needs to be an athlete or engage in countless hours of cardio and weightlifting to be healthy.

What does the script suggest as a simpler way to improve health?

The script suggests that a combination of lifting and walking can be a simpler and potentially easier way to improve health.

How does resistance training affect cardiovascular health?

Resistance training can positively affect cardiovascular health by improving blood pressure, reducing resting heart rate, enhancing vascular function, and reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

What benefits does lifting provide in terms of mental health?

Lifting can alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve overall mood, and cognitive function.

How does lifting impact bone health?

Lifting increases bone mineral density, which helps prevent osteoporosis and reduces the risk of fractures, particularly in older adults.

What is the minimum amount of lifting recommended per week for health benefits?

The script suggests that just 60 minutes of lifting per week can provide a significant amount of health benefits.

What is the potential reduction in all-cause mortality with any amount of lifting?

Any amount of lifting can lead to a 15% reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality compared to doing no lifting at all.

How does walking contribute to health when combined with resistance training?

Combining walking with resistance training is likely to be superior to either modality alone, providing additional health benefits.

What is the recommended amount of walking to gain most of its health benefits?

Anywhere between 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day seems to be enough to gain the majority of the health benefits that walking has to offer.

What other factors besides physical activity should be considered for overall health?

Other factors include eating plenty of whole foods, getting 30 to 40 grams of fiber per day, sleeping 6 to eight hours per night, maintaining a healthy body composition, and being physically active.

What is the final takeaway message about physical activity and health?

The final takeaway is that doing any sort of physical activity, such as lifting and walking, can substantially improve health and that the basics of physical activity are key.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♂️ The Power of Lifting for Health

The first paragraph emphasizes the importance of resistance training, or lifting, for overall health. It dispels the myth that one must be an athlete or engage in extensive cardio and weightlifting to be healthy. Instead, it suggests that even a small amount of lifting can significantly improve health by positively affecting cardiovascular health, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, improving insulin sensitivity, and increasing resting metabolic rate. Lifting also helps improve body composition, bone density, and mental health. The paragraph highlights that just one hour of lifting per week can lead to a 15% reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality. It also mentions the benefits of lifting for individuals with chronic conditions and the potential for muscle and strength gains with minimal effort.

05:01

🚶‍♂️ Walking: An Underrated Exercise

The second paragraph discusses the benefits of walking as an aerobic activity, which, when combined with resistance training, can offer superior health benefits over either alone. It challenges the notion that walking is not a real exercise, explaining that walking can lead to similar health improvements as more intense activities like running. The paragraph suggests that walking 40 to 60 minutes four times a week can improve cardiorespiratory fitness, as measured by V2 max. It also addresses the practicality of walking as an exercise that can be easily incorporated into daily life. The recommended step count for significant health benefits is between 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day, which aligns with 300 to 600 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. The paragraph concludes by encouraging viewers to be physically active, even if they cannot meet all health guidelines, as any movement contributes positively to health.

10:04

🌟 Conclusion: Prioritize Physical Activity

The third paragraph serves as a conclusion, summarizing the key points of the video script. It emphasizes the importance of being physically active, including both lifting and walking, for overall health. The paragraph also touches on other health factors such as eating whole foods, fiber intake, sleep, and maintaining a healthy body composition. It concludes with a motivational message, encouraging viewers to move as much as they can and to include resistance training in their weekly routine. The message is that consistency in physical activity, even in small amounts, can lead to significant long-term health improvements.

Keywords

💡Longevity

Longevity refers to the concept of living a long and healthy life, which is a universal goal for many people. In the video, it is emphasized that longevity can be achieved through simpler means like lifting weights and walking, rather than relying on complex diets or strenuous exercise routines.

💡Resistance Training

Resistance training involves exercises that cause muscles to contract against external resistance, such as lifting weights. The video highlights the health benefits of resistance training, including improved cardiovascular health, muscle strength, and bone density, as well as its ability to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and improve mental health.

💡Cardiovascular Health

Cardiovascular health refers to the health of the heart and blood vessels. The video mentions how resistance training can improve cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure, improving vascular function, and helping maintain healthy cholesterol levels, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.

💡All-cause Mortality

All-cause mortality refers to the risk of death from any cause. The video explains that lifting weights and walking can significantly reduce the risk of all-cause mortality, with just 60 minutes of lifting per week reducing the risk by 27%, and walking 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day providing additional health benefits.

💡Bone Density

Bone density is the amount of bone mineral in bone tissue, which affects the strength and resilience of bones. The video emphasizes that resistance training is effective in increasing bone density, which helps prevent osteoporosis and reduces the risk of fractures, particularly in older adults.

💡Visceral Fat

Visceral fat is fat stored within the abdominal cavity, around internal organs. The video explains that lifting weights can help reduce visceral fat, even without significant weight loss, contributing to improved health by lowering the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

💡VO2 Max

VO2 Max is the maximum rate at which the body can consume oxygen during exercise, reflecting aerobic endurance. The video explains that walking, especially at a brisk pace, can improve VO2 Max over time, similar to more intense forms of aerobic exercise like running or cycling, though walking is less time-efficient.

💡Step Count

Step count refers to the number of steps taken in a day, often tracked to measure physical activity. In the video, the recommendation is to aim for 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day to gain the majority of walking’s health benefits, which is a manageable goal for improving cardiovascular health and reducing mortality risk.

💡Moderate Physical Activity

Moderate physical activity involves exercises that raise the heart rate but still allow for conversation, such as brisk walking. The video suggests that engaging in 300 to 600 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, including walking and lifting, can significantly reduce the risk of death from various causes.

💡Mental Health

Mental health refers to emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The video discusses the positive impact of resistance training on mental health, including reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as improving overall mood and cognitive function. Lifting weights is highlighted as a way to enhance mental resilience and quality of life.

Highlights

Longevity is a universal goal, and simple activities like lifting and walking can significantly contribute to a healthier life.

Resistance training can improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Lifting can improve lipid profiles, lowering LDL cholesterol and increasing HDL cholesterol.

Regular resistance training can enhance insulin sensitivity and glycemic control.

Lifting can increase resting metabolic rate, though not as much as some people believe.

Resistance training is effective at increasing bone mineral density, preventing osteoporosis.

Lifting can alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improve overall mood and cognitive function.

Lifting equals improvements in Quality of Life and enhances overall functional capacity.

Lifting can be beneficial for individuals with chronic conditions such as arthritis and cancer.

Lifting can reduce visceral fat, sometimes without significant weight loss.

Any amount of lifting can lead to a 15% reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality.

Just 60 minutes of lifting per week can provide substantial health benefits.

Walking, when done regularly, can lead to similar health benefits as more intense exercises like running.

Walking 40 to 60 minutes four times per week can improve V2 Max, especially if done briskly.

Walking is more manageable and requires less mental preparation than higher intensity exercises.

6,000 to 8,000 steps per day, along with lifting, can provide most of the health benefits of walking.

300 to 600 minutes of moderate physical activity per week is enough to reduce all-cause mortality rates.

Combining lifting with walking or other forms of aerobic activity can be superior to either alone.

Even if you can't meet all health guidelines, being somewhat physically active can still greatly benefit your health.

Doing any sort of lifting and increasing step count above 2,000 steps can lead to health improvements.

The basics of physical activity like lifting and walking are key to health, and should not be overlooked.

Transcripts

[Music]

longevity is a universal goal nearly

everyone desires to live a longer and

healthier life well many people will

usually turn to complex diets

supplements some new some old some

questionable or even fancy workouts in

order to be healthier research suggest

that there is a much simpler and

potentially easier way to take a lot if

not all of the important boxes for

health the issue I feel is that many

people are under the impression that in

order to be healthy you need to be some

form of athlete or engage in countless

hours of cardio and weightlifting

however this couldn't be further away

from the truth the reality is that some

lifting and some walking can do wonders

for your overall health and fitness Yes

you heard that right just lifting and

just walking can do wonders let's break

it down though starting with lifting

lifting is is legitimately one of the

best types of activities you can do for

your overall health resistance training

can positively affect cardiovascular

health by improving blood pressure

reducing resting heart rate enhancing

vascular function it can also help

reduce the risk of cardiovascular

diseases by improving lipid profiles

including lowering LDL cholesterol as

well as increasing HDL cholesterol

regular resistance training can improve

sensulin sensitivity glycemic control

and to some point increase resting

metabolic rate although it won't turn

you into a calorie burning furnace

machine or whatever people say awesome

video by Milo um on the channel check it

out the increases in resting metabolic

rate are there but are not as Extreme as

many people think however lifting can

help in many ways improve your body

composition and the overall way that

your body manages nutrients resistance

training is also effective at increasing

bone mirror density which helps prevents

osteoporosis and reduces the risk of

fractures particularly in all older

adults there is also evidence that

resistance training can alleviate

symptoms of anxiety depression and

improve overall mood and cognitive

function we've released a very long

podcast episode on lifting and mental

health check it out at sbsp pod.com but

overall lifting equals improvements in

Quality of Life Lifting also obviously

increases es muscle mass strength and

muscular endurance as well as enhancing

overall functional capacity this is

particularly important aside from you

know looking big and stacked and

whatever um for maintaining Independence

and Mobility as you get older lifting

will literally allow you to be a much

more capable individual lifting can also

be beneficial for individuals with

chronic conditions such as arthritis um

as well as cancer by improving muscle

strength reducing some symptoms and

again enhancing quality of life in

addition lifting can also reduce

visceral fat even in some cases without

necessarily losing a ton of weight but

overall if we look at the data around

lifting and death from all causes any

amount of lifting can lead to a 15%

reduction in the risk of all cause

mortality compared to doing no lifting

at all and as many of you may already be

familiar with the maximum reduction in

mortality risk which is around 27% is

observed at just 60 Minutes of lifting

per week so yes just an hour of lifting

per week is enough for you to get a ton

of the health benefits as it pertains to

lifting and all cause mortality many of

you out there may not just be concerned

about lifting and health but also care

about making enough gains but I'd argue

that even in the context of making solid

muscle and strength gains an hour of

lifting per week if planned a bit more

carefully can lead to substantial

strength and hypertrophy gains check out

the video we did with Dr Brad shanfeld

on the simplest way to gain muscle where

we break down essentially that what's

the least you need to do in order to

gain an appreciable level of muscle mass

now it is likely that your intensity of

effort so how close you're training to

failure is somewhat key in reaping at

least some of the health benefits

associated with lifting although for

some populations for example the elderly

simply lifting is enough to help a on

and to get a lot of the health benefits

additionally and this is where the magic

of lifting comes in play the in the

context of Health specifically specifics

around exercise selection repetition

ranges and specific programming sort of

considerations are likely of very little

importance so if we assume that you're

engaging most major muscle groups and

you're lifting with some intensity of

effort over time you are likely getting

all those health benefits that I just

talked about although lifting is amazing

and resistance training alone may be

enough for you to get a good deal of the

overall health benefits that exercise

has to offer the combination of some

form of aerobic activity and resistance

training is likely going to be superior

versus either modality on its own and

this is where walking comes in the

picture people will often say that

walking is not really exercise but if

you walk enough walking can lead to

similar reductions in the risk for

various diseases as running orbeat being

much less efficient walking 40 to 60

Minutes four times per week can also

lead to substantial improvements in V2

Max especially if performed in a Brisk

here is this is this even a word fashion

so a brisk walk a really brisk walk can

actually improve people's V2 max if done

suff for sufficiently long time

throughout the week yes walking is less

time efficient than running or any other

higher intensity aerobic activity like

cycling or swimming but for many people

out there it can be more manageable to

fit in their lifestyle versus those

activities walking can be combined with

social activities chores and given its

relatively low intensity the mental

preparation required to go for a quick

walk is in my honest opinion at least

much lower than required when you want

to go running or cycling especially for

those who don't particularly enjoy these

sort of activities going for an intense

run is not as easy as just going out for

a walk how much should you aim to walk

to reap most of its health benefits I

hear you asking you may have heard that

around 10,000 steps per day is some sort

of ma magic number and there's some

truth to that however especially since I

assume you will also be lifting for at

least 60 minutes per week anywhere

between 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day

seems to be enough to give you the

majority if not all of the health

benefits that walking has to offer this

is further supported by recent evidence

suggesting that 300 to 600 minutes of

moderate physical activity walking and

lifting fall in this category is enough

in order to substantially reduce all CA

mortality rates the caveat here is that

vigorous physical activity like running

led to similar reductions in all CA

mortality but in half the time but you

can also combine both um that's

definitely an option if you enjoy doing

higher intensity cardio or higher

intensity physical activity in general

overall though if you are a lifter who

averages close to 8,000 steps per day

and lifts for approximately an hour per

week you are definitely doing more for

your health than you may think but I

hear you it's not just about your

physical activity there's other factors

that we might may need to consider for

health but these factors are relatively

straightforward do your best to eat

plenty of Whole Foods around 30 to 40

grams of fiber per day sleep 6 to eight

hours per night at a similar time

maintain a healthy body composition

which isn't necessarily what many

influencers will have you think it is

and at the end of the day you are likely

covered the most important takeaway here

is that even if you don't manage to hit

these guidelines during busy periods of

your life or you know let's say your

sleep is a bit worse or you're not able

to hit the gym as hard as you wanted

doing the your best to be somewhat

physically active will play a massive

role in your health and will pay massive

dividends even if that's taking a walk

two to three times per week and hitting

the gym once per week it may not be

ideal but you're still getting a lot

from it if you look at the literature on

lifting and walking doing any sort of

lifting as I already mentioned is enough

for substantial decreases in all CA

mortality and for walking increasing

your step count above 2,000 steps and if

you 2,000 steps you add above that will

lead to health improvements these are

important things as I feel that a lot of

people out there may get in their head a

bit about physical activity and health

and end up doing nothing because they

think that doing something is not really

worth their time get out there move as

much as you can and as much as your

schedule allows do your best to include

some resistance training within your

week even if that's at home in the form

of exercise snacks or whatever and

you'll be surprised if you keep it up

for a bunch of years with how your

health will improve I know this is not

muscle growth or the latest study on how

to get bigger biceps but these this is

an important message for a lot of people

out there especially those who may be a

bit more healthc conscious lift weights

walk and just be physically active and

don't really lose your mind over

physical col activity and health the

basics are King thank you so much for

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