If running your first marathon can boost life expectancy by four years, imagine what extreme fitness training can do

By J.D.

Recently I stumbled across a fitness story that I found truly amazing and I wanted to share it with you.

According to researchers from the Institute of Cardiovascular Science at University College London and Barts Heart Centre in London, training for your first marathon can add as many as four years to your life.

Study Finds notes:

For those considering trying out their first marathon, it can seem like an intimidating task. While there’s no getting around the fact that running a marathon will push one’s physical limits, a new study finds it can do some serious health wonders as well. According to researchers in London, training for and completing a marathon for the first time can result in reductions in blood pressure and aortic stiffness that is equivalent to turning one’s body clock back by four years from a vascular health perspective!

Researchers found that older male marathon runners who had particularly high blood pressure before starting training were the biggest beneficiaries of marathon training/running, but the benefits were pretty universal

As clinicians are meeting with patients in the new year, making a goal-oriented exercise training recommendation — such as signing up for a marathon or fun-run–may be a good motivator for our patients to keep active,” notes senior author Charlotte H. Manisty, MD, of the Institute of Cardiovascular Science at University College London and Barts Heart Centre in London, in a release. 

“Our study highlights the importance of lifestyle modifications to slow the risks associated with aging, especially as it appears to never be too late as evidenced by our older, slower runners.”

Click the link above to read the particulars, but you get the gist.

Well, this study got me to thinking. Mind you, I’m no research scientist and I don’t have an advanced degree in exercise, medicine, or fitness, but I do know this: The kind of extreme training we promote here at Survival Legion is pretty intense, as you can see in our videos and workouts.

Are they strenuous enough to prolong your life? I can’t really say, but if the grueling training for a marathon is life-enhancing, then extreme fitness, Survival Legion style, can’t be a bad thing…right?

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