Two Science-Backed Moves That Will Keep You Fit For Life | Men's Health Magazine Australia

The Two Moves That Will Keep You Fit For Life

How can you tell if you’re due a long and happy life? Advanced science? Cryogenics? Dr Michael Joyner, a physician and researcher with non-profit health organization the Mayo Clinic, may have the answer.

“Study after study is showing that simple tests of physical performance are highly predictive of future mortality,” Joyner wrote for Outside Magazine. In other words, deceptively simple fitness trials will both show your limitations and boost your longevity.

Joyner’s top moves to improve your fitness and extend your lifespan boost explosive power, cardiovascular health, endurance and strength.

You’re not going to like these: weighted skipping and burpees.

Why these two?

Skipping alone is more effective than a jog when it comes to torching fat. The University of Jena, Germany, found that skipping requires 24% more power than running at the same speed. In short, you’re burning more calories. Now add additional weight to that rope, requiring a higher power output, and you’re torching calories while building arm muscle at the same time. It’s almost like those gyroscopic powerballs that were in vogue a few years ago.

Burpees are a rightly feared total-body exercise that builds explosive power in our lower-body and works the heart. Whether you’re doing burpees with a press-up so that your chest touches the floor or not, it’s still an excruciatingly difficult exercise.

“On hard days, I’ll sometimes alternate between a minute of burpees and using a weighted jump rope,” says Joyner. Both exercises serve a double purpose, increasing your cardiovascular fitness while building both upper-body and lower-body power, making them fantastic for a deceptively simple all-purpose workout.

This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.

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