Anti-aging, recovery and resilience

The ability to recover, to snap back, both physically and emotionally, from the stresses and strains and the sometimes more than occasion crises of life has got to be one of the cornerstones of anti-aging.

I was thinking about this today,Day 10, of boot camp, after I finished a particularly grueling cardio/weights high-intensity interval work-out and realized I felt somewhat less grueled than I did after the same session a week ago.  I was recovering faster.  Which meant my aerobic capacity was improving, and I was getting stronger, and my muscle mass was increasing…and my bio clock was ticking backward.

Recovery is a glorious thing, whether it’s from a tough work-out or a broken heart or an illness.  The ability of the body (and spirit) to mend itself is, I think, one of the wonders of life.

This past week of boot camp I’ve been monitoring the recovery rate of my heart after exercise — that is, how long it takes my heart rate to return to its normal or resting rate after I tax it.  And man, have I been taxing it.  Recovery rate is an excellent indicator of cardiovascular health, a key biomarker of aging.  It’s not just about the heart, of course, but about the flexibility of arteries, the capacity of lungs and the aerobic efficiency of the body.  Good stuff.

Easy to check if you have a heart monitor (I have a Polar watch with accompanying chest band) or if you’re at a gym with a treadmill, elliptical, stair-stepper or bike that can track heart rate.  Bring your heart rate up nice and high.  Maybe you’re working at 80 percent of capacity.  Note your heart rate at the peak.  Then stop whatever it is you’re doing. Wait 2 minutes and note your heart rate a second time.  If the beats have decreased less than 25, this is not good news.  This is not how a strong, healthy heart reacts.  It could mean that you are biologically older than your birthdate.  If, on the other hand, the rate has decreased by at least 50 beats in those 2 minutes, your cardiovascular system is in good shape.  More of a decrease, and your biological age may be considerably younger than your chronological age.

Here’s a deal for you all:  A FREE, autographed copy of Counterclockwise for the first person to guess how many beats my heart rate went down 2 minutes after today’s workout. (Just send your guess as a “comment” to this post, and I’ll email you if you win.  This offer stands until one week from today.)

Oh.  About boot camp:  It’s like summer camp with really mean counselors and no boys.  Also no Tootsie Pops from the canteen. And I love it.