JJ Virgin explains why exercise matters more for longevity than weight loss. She argues exercise should be prescribed like a drug: tai chi, Pilates, and powerlifting each trigger different hormonal responses, so the right type and dose are critical.
Originally, I'm an exercise scientist and I went into nutrition mainly two reasons. Number one, 'cause people thought they could exercise their way out of a crappy diet. They come in wanting to lose weight. And I knew the fastest way to do that was to help them change their diet. But also because back then exercise scientists were peasants. And now I feel with all the longevity, like exercise has found its day. Because when you look at all of the biomarkers, all of the hallmarks of aging, there's only one thing out there that hits 'em all. And that is exercise. But the other part about exercise is exercise could mean tai chi, it could be Pilates, it can be powerlifting. And they all have very different hormonal and metabolic effects. So as we're looking at what do you need to do to be built to last, we need to really design the right exercise. Because again, if you take, take into account that exercise can, is a drug, well, that means it could be therapeutic, but at the wrong dose or the wrong drug for you, it could be either not work or be damaging.
