A trainer has claimed she's managed to roll back her biological clock by incorporating three easy things into her fitness regimen.
Noelle McKenzie who is the cofounder of Leading Edge Personal Trainers based in New York has claimed to have knocked off four years from her age, going from 39 to 35 based on data tracking of her health.
Noelle uses a Fitdays smart scale, which measures her bone density, body fat, water weight and muscle mass distribution, and uses results from a test she's built that challenges her strength, cardiovascular health and functional fitness to help her clients similarly shave off the years.
Speaking to Business Insider, Noelle said: "Biological age essentially tells you how fast your body is aging. A lower biological age tells me your training and lifestyle habits are well-rounded."
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So without further ado, here are three areas of fitness she recommends when it comes to improving health and lifespan.
Improve mobility and range of motion
The 39-year-old-turned-35 said making improvements to her mobility and range of motion were at the top of the list.
Noelle said on Instagram: "When you're more mobile you can train harder, recover faster and perform better. Mobility training optimizes how well you move and helps keep you pain and injury free."
She recommends five mobility exercises - windmill, upward facing dog, crab rocket, low squat with internal hip rotation and runner's lunge - to make the improvements.
Noelle also said such exercises are the 'best remedy for back pain' as they build a 'strong mobile back.'
There is science to her claim too, as a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports revealed greater flexibility was associated with a lower risk of death from natural causes in middle aged people - and women with lower flexibility results had a 4.78 times higher risk of death.
Mixed cardio
Secondly, the coach says she incorporates two different types of cardio - zone two training and interval training.
Zone two involves exercising at 65-76 percent of your maximum heart rate, like a brisk walk for around half an hour a day.
Meanwhile, intervals involve alternating between intense periods followed by a rest which Noelle tracks by measuring her VO2 max.
A high VO2 max means you probably have better cardiovascular endurance, as it measures how much oxygen your body can take in while exercising.
Another study on exercise treadmill testing found increasing from a low VO2 max to below average can mean a 50 percent reduction in mortality rate.
The research adds: "Extremely high aerobic fitness was associated with the greatest survival and was associated with benefit in older patients and those with hypertension."
Progressive overload and strength training
Finally, the trainer said strength training has 'preventative' aging powers.
This is because it protects muscle mass and strength, reduces the risk of injury, disease and other conditions like Alzheimer's, boosts estrogen and other hormone levels that typically take a beating during menopause and gives our mental health a good boost, too.
Again, there is science to her claim as research in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found 30 minutes to one hour of strength training presented a 10-17 percent reduction in dying from cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Noelle recommends whole-body strength exercises that mimic the movements your body does in everyday life, like squats or the 'farmer's carry', like carrying grocery bags.
She also says progressive overload is key here too, which involves gradually increasing the weight or intensity of workouts over time.
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