This is very interesting and may just be the thing to keep me from backsliding again. The Covid Years really took a toll on, I didn’t get Covid but that period deeply affected me in many ways, primarily triggered me into stress-eating again. But look here:
“Early middle-age may represent a “sweet spot” for intervention. Sustained training at the right dose at the right time period in the aging process reverses the effects of sedentary aging.” – Dr. Benjamin Levine
The heart gets stiffer and shrinks, starting around age 50 to 65. Once you reach age 70, it is very challenging to change the heart’s structure (although there are other benefits to exercise).
Here’s the 2-year protocol, totaling 5-6 hours per week that Dr. Levine and colleagues used:
• Norwegian 4×4 Interval Training: Weekly sessions began with four minutes of high-intensity activity at 95% peak heart rate, followed by three minutes at 60%-75% peak heart rate, repeated four times.
• Recovery Day Aerobics: Light 20-30 minute aerobic exercise.
• Endurance Building: An hour (or more) per week of endurance exercises and a separate 30-minute base pace session.
• Strength Training: Twice weekly.
Here is the study: Reversing the Cardiac Effects of Sedentary Aging in Middle Age—A Randomized Controlled Trial: Implications For Heart Failure Prevention
