Think energetic exercise is just for the young? Think again. Contrary to the common belief, a new study finds seniors should stay physically active. The study reveals that physical activity shifts energy away from biological processes that cause disease and moves it towards systems throughout the body which extend (延长) life.

Researchers used apes (类人猿) — the distant cousins of humans —in their research. They theorize that humans separated themselves from apes during evolution (进化) by developing the ability to make themselves fitter through physical exercise.

Typically, apes live only 35 to 40 years. However, apes are also much less active than most humans. This suggests that humans reached a point in their evolution where people developed a way to stay alive longer through more activity. The behavior of apes stands in sharp contrast to that of ancient hunter-gatherers, who the team says averaged around 135 minutes of moderate-to-energetic physical activity a day. Study authors believe this level of activity, up to 10 times more than the average American, is the reason hunter-gatherers lived to around 70 years old.

The team finds humans also use energy from physical activity to repair and maintain the body. Along with burning calories, exercise actually causes widespread damage to the body by causing damage on a cellular(细胞的), molecular (分子的), and tissue level. However, this damage is essential so the body can build itself back even stronger. Through exercise, the body starts repairing muscle fibers, broken bones, and other minor injuries. When people are less active, these processes are also less active, putting people at higher risk of disease.

We humans evolved to be active throughout our lives and our bodies need physical activity to age well. In the past, daily physical activity was necessary in order to survive, but today we choose to do voluntary physical activity for health and fitness. The good news is that you don’t need to be as active as a hunter-gatherer to reduce the effects of aging.

How Helping Others Benefits You

Everyone wants to lead a happy and fulfilling life, so it’s natural to want to put yourself and your health first! However, helping other people can also directly help you at the same time.

Here are a few ways that helping others can benefit you：

·Attract more back to you.

When you give, you’re more likely to receive. You don’t necessarily need to keep the receiving in mind when you decide to give, but nature may just take its course.    26     Maybe you’ll come across some good fortune.

·Bring you a good feeling.

If you volunteer your time to help others, you’re sharing your blessings with those less fortunate, which is a wonderful gift to give! You’ll likely return home after volunteering with a smile on your face.    27    

·Heighten self-esteem.

When you help others, you may be helping yourself to a heightened self-esteem. A positive result for your good deeds enables you to feel pride in your accomplishments.    28    

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After you’ve done something nice, you may also find that your confidence increases. The fact that your helpful acts have turned out so positive might lead you to the confidence you need in your own life.

·Be more positive about your own situation.

Sometimes you’ll find that you’re your own worst critic. You might accept the faults of others, but you may be less likely to accept your own. Helping others can help you to accept your own situation and your own faults.    30    

Seek out opportunities, today, to help others. You’ll be glad you did!