Because, according to a new study in Preventive Medicine, fitter men have fewer signs of ageing at a cellular level, too. Researchers took DNA samples from 6000 adults to measure their telomeres – parts of the chromosome linked to longevity.
The most active among subjects were shown to have nine fewer years of cellular ageing than sofa-bound types. Again, for those who are no stranger to sweating, this is not exactly news. How often you train, however, is worth noting. The most committed gym goers – those training for 40 minutes five days a week – were seven years younger on a cellular level than moderate exercisers. So, while we can’t promise it will earn you The Stath’s age-defying definition, cutting the odd rest day from your regimen could add years to your life – giving you extra time to work on scoring that action-movie franchise deal you’ve been after.