Harvard professor debunks ‘most concerning’ myth people have about exercise

A Harvard professor has debunked one of the 'most concerning' myths that people have about exercise.

While you might think it's something to do with the age-old debate of cardio or weights first, or constantly checking how many steps you've done in a day, it's more about looking after the body for as long as possible.

Although some folks head to the gym for bizarre reasons like specifically training one side of their body, most of us go with the aim of feeling healthy and looking good, and most professors will be in agreement that this attitude should never really change.

In an interview with Big Think, Professor of Biological Sciences at Harvard University Daniel Lieberman explained exactly why we should ignore anyone who urges us to exercise less as we grow older.

He said: "I think the most pernicious, the most serious, the most problematic, the most concerning way in which we think about exercise in the western world is that as people get older, it's normal to be less physically active.

"Americans, as they get older, their strength declines rapidly. By the time people are in their 60s and 70s, they're pretty frail. But hunter gatherers remain physically active as they age because they're doing stuff.

"They have to lift things and carry things and do stuff that keeps them strong. The end result is that they maintain that strength, and that strength is important, because one of the real serious issues of ageing is a problem called sarcopenia (flesh loss.)

"As people get older in the West, they tend to lose a lot of strength and power. That makes basic tasks difficult. When that happens, people become less active, when they become less active they become less fit. That sets in motion a disastrous, vicious cycle."

We should try to maintain our strength for as long as possible (Getty Stock)

The professor also explained why exercise becomes even more vital as we age, as when our bodies are more susceptible to things like arthritis and dementia, you want your body to be as strong and healthy as possible.

He added: "As we get older, strength training becomes more and more important, so that we can avoid those losses of vigour that are really important to maintaining your health and staying strong as we age."

"We're a unique species, we evolved to live long after we stop reproducing. We often think about the effects of physical ability on lifespan. Before modern medicine, what determined how long you live was your health-span. What physical activity.

"And so health-span is really the key thing. And what physical activity does is it increases your health-span and your health-span therefore increases your lifespan."

For a lot of people, growing older means gaining more responsibilities such as kids and pets and the Sunday league football or trip to the gym naturally doesn't look as appealing when you're feeling physically and mentally drained.

But exercise is one of the best ways to boost your physical and mental health and cutting down is the last thing we should do if we can avoid it.

Dr Lieberman concluded: "So as we get older, let's not cut back on the physical activity. Let's maintain it, do some strength, do some endurance.

"The evidence is incontrovertible. There's tons of data which show that as we get older, the more physical activity is really beneficial.

"And other studies have found the same thing- that physical activity, as you get older, is more important, not less important for preserving your health."