Cardio Training and How It Is the Real Fountain of Youth

Because Aging Doesn’t Mean Slowing Down

As a Physical Therapist and CrossFit Coach, I have seen a common theme across both demographics. The primary limiting factor for both my patients and my athletes when it comes to achieving their goals…conditioning and endurance. You probably thought I was going to say strength and yes, while that is vitally important, we typically don’t need that much strength to accomplish your daily activities. What holds them back from rehabbing and training more is their ability to actually train…i.e. their endurance. They require more rest breaks and time to recovery between sets which limit their ability to get stronger.

My patients are usually recovering from a surgery or an injury and due to normal physiological responses, your energy level drops like a rock and your conditioning goes with it. My athletes want to train, train and then train some more. The only thing that stops them from doing all that training to improve their sport performance ends up not being their skill, but their capacity (i.e. their endurance and ability to train for prolonged periods of time).

Notice nutrition is the base, then cardio, then bodyweight training, theeeeeeeen the buff stuff aaaanndd thennnnnnn its the fun stuff.

When my patients talk about the wanting to get “back to their old self,” they imagine some magic pill or quick surgery that reverses aging and restores vitality. But as a physical therapist and coach, I can tell you—there’s no magic involved. The real secret? Cardiovascular training (and a whole lot of patience and hard work).

Yes, cardio. The often-overlooked, sometimes-dreaded (older, better looking and more successful) sibling of weight training. But hear me out—cardio isn’t just about running marathons or being that guy that does the Stairmaster for an hour with a towel on his head. It’s about preserving your health, energy, and quality of life as you age. And it can be whatever you want it to be.

The Science Behind Cardio and Longevity

Cardiovascular training is any exercise that elevates your heart rate and keeps it elevated—think walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, dancing, or even a good old-fashioned hike. This kind of training directly strengthens your heart, improves lung capacity, and enhances circulatory function.

But what does that mean long-term?

• Improved heart health: Cardiovascular training is like doing bicep curls for your your heart. Your heart is a muscle and needs to be challenged to increase its strength and capacity. Cardio helps it pump blood more efficiently. When your heart gets better at doing its job then it’s easier for you to do normal things. That means lower resting heart rate and a reduced risk of all the things that those drug commercials are trying to cure…heart disease, stroke, hypertension, even allergies (yeah, seriously. Don’t trust me? You probably shouldn’t but here is the study anyways).

  
  

• Increased mitochondrial function: Mitochondria are the powerhouses of your cells (yes, we all remember that from high school biology). What that actually means is it is responsible for generating all the energy for the cell (another high school biology term, ATP), which in turn generates energy for the body. More mitochondria equals more energy, but also more effective mitochondria mean more effective energy. So you’re not energetic and annoying, you’re energic and productive.

  
  

• Better brain health: Regular aerobic exercise increases blood flow to the brain, which supports memory, cognitive function, and mood. Studies even link cardio with lower risks of dementia and depression. What’s scarier is that the opposite of that relationship is also true…decreased exercise is linked to an increased risk of dementia (I know ya’ll are suspicious so here ya go nerds). So if you want to live a longer and fuller life, get out of breath more often.

  
  

• Reduced inflammation and oxidative stress: Cardio can lower chronic inflammation, which is a root cause of many age-related diseases. Inflammation is your body’s response to an illness, injury or an intruder (foreign body, germs, viruses, etc, not an actual intruder). The more inflammation you have the less effectively your body can function, because it has a bunch of other crap in the way that it has to work around. Think how difficulty wiping your butt would be if your wrist ALWAYS had a giant bruise on it. Now think about your organs having a bruise…that’s inflammation.

  

  Even with the nice purple flowers, I wouldn’t want to swim in that pond. At least I can see the bottom of that stream.

  Since we are way more water than anything here’s a lovely analogy for you. Think of chronic inflammation in your body as a pond…a large area of fluid that isn’t flowing or moving anyways, just hanging out getting in the way being stinky. Probably one of those ponds with lots of bullfrogs and flies. Now think of cardiovascular training has a stream, moving all the water and fluid in your body around and cleaning everything up from the inside out. Doing some cardio is like giving your insides a shower (yeah, I know what I just typed). It rinses away some of that stagnated fluid and provides your inflamed areas some new healthy fluid. Now you have a new fun fact to tell your friends, you’re welcome.

In short, cardio helps your body stay young at the cellular level. And if you’re young and healthy on the inside then the outside is going to be young too…just like your feelings (maybe).

Cardio Isn’t Just for Weight Loss

Too many people only associate cardio with burning fat or losing weight. But it’s so much more than that. Cardio training builds endurance—not just for workouts, but for life. It helps you stay active, play with your kids or grandkids, travel with ease, and bounce back from physical setbacks faster.

Even a brisk (or even casual speed) 30-minute walk five times a week can dramatically improve cardiovascular health and add years to your life. Walking is the basis of human movement and doing it gives your body a solid foundation to build any other physical skill from.

The Youthful Benefits You Can Feel

Here’s a short list (there will be a quiz at the end) of what consistent cardio training can do for your everyday life:

1. More energy throughout the day

2. Improved sleep quality

3. Faster recovery from illness or injury

4. Better mood and reduced anxiety

5. Increased resilience against stress

6. Enhanced mobility and joint health

   
   

Not to mention, that post-cardio glow is real—blood flow to the skin improves collagen production and gives you a naturally healthier complexion. Who needs expensive creams?

Make It Enjoyable, Make It Sustainable

The key to unlocking the benefits of cardio is consistency, not intensity. You don’t need to run marathons or spend hours on a treadmill. Find something you enjoy—dancing, cycling with friends, swimming, hiking, or just walking outdoors with a great playlist or podcast.

Start small. Build gradually. Your future self will thank you.

What’s a Exercise Routine to Help With my Heart?

Great question! Thanks for asking. The Norwegian 4x4 is exactly what helps your heart. It gets its name because you are doing four repeats of a four-minute-long hard intervals. The place where this protocol was developed and the source for reliable information is the Cardiac Exercise Research Group at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Here is a video with researcher Anja Bye explaining how it works. Please refer to this video for your follow-up questions and any additional information. While it is extremely convenient (and much easier) to follow a podcaster or influencer’s advice. Unfortunately, its more than likely they are translating the original material into what they think is important, not what is actually important. If you want to do the 4x4, do it right. Once you understand what it truly is and know how you respond to it (I’ll give you a hint, it will feel terrible) then experiment with it on your own, if you choose.

The 4x4 Protocol

The 4x4 was originally designed to be done while running, but the researchers say it’s OK to do it with other activities like “swimming, biking, or skiing.” (I’m not a skier so that’s a no go for me. I also assume you could sub in a rower as well.) Here’s the protocol: 

Warm up: 10 minutes of moderate intensity jogging or brisk walking.

First interval: 4 minutes at a hard pace. It may take 1-2 minutes for your heart rate to reach the target (85-95% of your tested max HR), and that’s OK. If you don’t have a heart rate monitor or you don’t know your true max, aim to work hard enough that you can’t talk in full sentences. Bye says “the intensity of the last minute should be high, but not so exhausting that you cannot complete it.” 

Recovery: 3 minutes at a moderate pace, jogging or brisk walking. Aim to get back to 60-70% of your max heart rate. 

Repeat the intervals until you have done four of them, in total.

Cooldown: 5 minutes of mild intensity again (conversation pace walk/row/bike)

1.     10 minute Warm Up

2.     4 minute Interval #1

3.     3 minute Active Recovery

4.     4 minute Interval #2

5.     3 minute Active Recovery

6.     4 minute Interval #3

7.     3 minute Active Recovery

8.     4 minute Interval #4

9.     3 minute Active Recovery

10. 5-10 minute Cool Down

In total, you will be exercising from start to finish for less than 45 minutes. This protocol is recommended to be done 2x/week. Your third exercise session is a “low and slow” Zone 2 style cardio session. Obviously you want to do some sort of resistance training as well so you don’t get too squishy and lose your muscle.

If this protocol sounds like torture and you’d rather be a contestant on the next Squid Game rather than do it, then……………..don’t do it. Find something else you enjoy and do that instead. I’m here to give you options (and viable ones at that). Speaking of options…here’s a very convenient link to my 5k Training Program.…

5k Training Program - Time Based

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The program is time based instead of distance based. So you’re never asked to “run 6 miles”. Instead each training session is predicated on your pace and we build your endurance and capacity from there.

Bottom Line: Cardio Is Anti-Aging Medicine

If you’re looking for a powerful, science-backed way to stay young, active, and vibrant—cardio is it. It supports every system in your body, from your heart to your brain to your joints. And best of all? It’s accessible, low-cost, and doesn’t come in a bottle (if it did, it would be a very fancy glass bottle, not a plastic one).

So next time you’re debating whether to go for that walk or hop on the bike—remember, you’re not just doing cardio. You’re investing in your health span, not just your lifespan.

Cardio really is the fountain of youth—and it’s been here all along.