Credits: Social Media
84-year-old’s secret to ‘looking so great’ is exercise, but a very specific kind
An 84-year-old has shared her secret to looking so healthy, and it’s something we can all start doing right now.
We only have one body, so it’s important to look after it, and the woman’s eye-opening advice is a great place to start.
84-year-old’s secret to looking so great
The 84-year-old was stopped by TikTok user Yair Brachiyahu, who interviews people in the street about their life advice.
He asked how she looks so great in the later part of her life, and she replied: “Dancing. Four hours a day. Keep on rocking and you’ll live as long as I have.”
She said that she “parties every day” and urged everyone to “keep on moving” in order to stay looking youthful.
Whether it’s salsa, tap or Zumba, dancing is a type of aerobic exercise, like running or cycling, which is great for your health.
Benefits of dancing on your health
It has all kinds of benefits on both your mental and physical health, which all combine to improve your overall well-being and help you live longer.
As explained by MedlinePlus, some of them include:
- Better heart health
- Stronger muscles
- Better balance and coordination
- Stronger bones
- Lower risk of dementia
- Better memory
- Reduced stress
- More energy
- Improved mood
Exercise also helps you keep to a healthy weight, which is vital as obesity is one of the main risk factors for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and many cancers, NHS explains.
However, it’s not just good for your body, dancing is great for your brain too! One study at the University of Illinois designed a Latin ballroom dance program for older sedentary adults and participants reported improvements in memory, attention, and focus.
It offers many mental benefits too as exercise releases endorphins, chemicals the body naturally produces to cope with pain or stress, and dopamine, which brings feelings of happiness, pleasure and satisfaction.
How much exercise you should do
The NHS says all healthy adults should do some type of physical activity every day, which could include dancing. You should aim to do strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least two days a week.
Adults should also do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity a week. Reduce time spent sitting or lying down where possible too, and always break up long periods of not moving with some activity.
