The second point — physical activity. If you are a physically active person — over 50, 60 or 70 years old — and you walk at least 30 minutes every day with a brisk step, this means that you are very good and will most likely reach 90 and 100 years. Why? Very simple. People who approach physical activity wisely — that is, they have enough movement every day — do a good job of preventing various cardiovascular diseases.
Sufficient walking helps the body not to form blood clots, for example in the veins of the lower extremities. And a lot of movement is also good for the brain . In many elderly people, cognitive problems, memory loss, and bad mood are often associated with the fact that they walk little . That’s why many people ask: “Why should I walk 10,000 steps or at least 6,000?” Friends, there is a huge amount of research that says that this should be done. And if you walk often enough, or ride a bike, swim — that is, at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week (WHO recommendation) — this means that you will live long, happily, and feel great. The vessels work, the heart works, the brain works. In general, the whole organism works well — movement = life.
If you roll around on the couch and do nothing — what does this lead to? First — excess weight will grow, the heart will work poorly, the vessels too, blood clots will form, for example, in the veins of the lower extremities. This often happens when a person moves little, constantly sits in front of a computer. Even at the age of 40 you can get a life-threatening complication — pulmonary embolism : a blood clot forms in the veins of the lower extremities, which “flies” to the pulmonary artery and clogs it. If it is large — it will completely clog it, you will suffocate… and that’s it.
So if you walk — this is a big plus . Then: if you have stable, normal blood pressure — you will live a very long time. By rough estimates, almost 50% of the population over 60 years old have problems with blood pressure, that is, hypertension. Many do not take it seriously, thinking: “Well, it’s high, but I don’t have a headache, this is my working pressure”. Friends, these are old wives’ tales. The pressure should be around 120 plus or minus. If you already have 135/85 at home — this indicates hypertension. If it is higher — even more so. And if you don’t pay attention to the numbers, don’t go to the doctor, don’t treat the pressure — this leads to damage to the vessels . They become inflamed, atherosclerotic plaques form, atrial fibrillation develops, etc.
Many people who have had 150/90 all their lives end up in the ward with a stroke . Then they say: “Well, it wasn’t 200”. It is enough to walk with not so high , but still high pressure — it still damages the vessels. People who don’t monitor their pressure live significantly less.
Scientific data shows a clear connection: people whose blood pressure is around 120/70 live very long. Therefore, if there are hypotensive women — women with low blood pressure — they more often live to be 100 years old, because high blood pressure damages the vessels, and normal blood pressure rarely leads to vascular accidents. Further: if you have quality sleep , this also indicates a long life. Why?
