Want to Be Younger Next Year? Move Smarter, Not Harder

Want to Be Younger Next Year? Move Smarter, Not Harder

4 Essential Types of Exercise to Reverse Aging & Support Blood Sugar

If you want to feel younger, stronger, and more vibrant next year than you do right now, you don’t need to beat yourself up in the gym every day. You need a strategy.

This blog breaks down 4 science-backed types of movement that build longevity, energy, and metabolic health. You’ll get real-life examples, smart tips to make it work (even with a busy schedule), and see how yoga can support all four. Plus, download a free printable Weekly Exercise Checklist to help you stay consistent.

I’m a big fan of learning from research and real-world results. Experts like Dr. Peter Attia, Dr. Andy Galpin, and Dr. Gabrielle Lyon (featured on the Huberman Lab Podcast) have helped distill what really works. Here's how I use their science to build doable, life-giving routines for myself and my clients.

1. Zone 2 Cardio: Build Your Endurance Engine

Low-to-moderate intensity cardio helps burn fat, improve insulin sensitivity, and increase mitochondrial health. In plain English? It makes you better at using energy and aging more slowly.

Try This:

• 45-minute post-meal walks a few times per week
• Light jog, cycling, or swimming at a "talkable" pace
• Brisk dog walk
• Flow-Based Yoga or Power Yoga

How Yoga Helps:

Flow-based yoga classes (like Vinyasa or slow power yoga) done with consistent breath can keep you in Zone 2.

Target: 2–3 sessions/week, 30–60 minutes

2. High-Intensity Training: Short Bursts for Longevity

High-intensity work improves VO2 max (your oxygen efficiency), which is one of the best predictors of healthy aging.

Try This:

• 20 minutes of intervals: Sprint for 30 seconds, rest for 90 seconds (repeat)
• Add short explosive bursts to walks or bodyweight sessions

How Yoga Helps:

Yoga isn’t traditionally high-intensity, but you can turn up the heat: fast-paced sun salutations, breath of fire, or integrate interval rounds into your practice.

Target: 1–2 sessions/week, under 30 minutes

3. Strength & Resistance Training: Build Muscle, Boost Metabolism

Muscle is medicine. It improves insulin sensitivity, balances hormones, protects joints, and supports metabolic health.

Try This:

• Two full-body sessions/week with weights, bands, or bodyweight
• Combine yoga poses with isometric holds (Chair, Plank, Bridge)

How Yoga Helps:

Yoga builds isometric strength and body awareness—great for mobility and stability. Add resistance or holds for more strength benefits.

Target: 2–4 times/week

4. Mobility, Stability & Functional Movement: The Longevity Secret

Flexibility, joint health, balance, and stability often get ignored—but they’re what keep you feeling young and capable.

Try This:

• 5 minutes of stretching daily
• Balance drills (stand on one foot while brushing your teeth!)
• Use yoga, foam rolling, or mobility tools

How Yoga Helps:

This is where yoga shines. A consistent yoga practice improves spinal health, flexibility, core engagement, balance, and breath awareness.

Target: Daily or at least 5 days/week

Bonus: NEAT Movement (aka Moving Through Life)

NEAT = Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. It’s the movement you get from living—and it matters more than you think.

Try This:

• 10-minute walks after meals
• Take the stairs, dance while cooking, walk during phone calls
• Seated or desk yoga to keep energy flowing

🏋️ Weekly Movement Sample Plan

You don’t need to work out every day, but aim to cover all categories throughout the week:
Day Activity
Mon 30 min Zone 2 walk + 15 min yoga (mobility)
Tue 30 min strength (weights or yoga holds)
Wed Rest or 20 min gentle yoga
Thu 20 min HIIT + 10 min yoga cool-down
Fri 45 min yoga (flow or restorative)
Sat Strength session (weights or bodyweight)
Sun Nature walk or recovery movement

Need a Custom Plan?

If you want help building a personalized routine that works with your real life, energy, and blood sugar needs, let’s connect.

Book a free Holistic Vitality Strategy Session

Together we’ll design a plan that works with your life—not against it.

Remember: You don’t need to be perfect. You just need a plan. One that honors your health, your season, and your strengths.

Let’s move with purpose and feel younger every year.

Want to be Younger Next Year? Exercise Is the Fountain of Youth
4 Essential Types of Exercise You Need Each Week and How to Make Them Happen

This article breaks down the four key types of exercise everyone should include. (I love to research and learn, and have been impressed with his evidence-based leading experts.) You’ll get clear examples, smart tips to build them into your life, and see how yoga touches all four categories: cardio, strength, high-intensity, and mobility. Plus, download a free printable checklist to stay on track and support blood sugar, hormones, and long-term energy.

Most people think they need to “go hard” every day to be healthy. But according to experts featured on the Huberman Lab Podcast—including Dr. Peter Attia, Dr. Andy Galpin, and Dr. Gabrielle Lyon—optimal health and longevity actually come from a balance of four distinct types of movement.

If you’re short on time or energy, this approach offers clarity. You don’t need to do everything every day. But over a week, you do want to hit each of these categories.

Here’s a breakdown—and a free printable checklist to make it easy to stay on track.

✅ 1. Zone 2 Cardio (Build Your Base)

This is low to moderate intensity movement that improves your ability to burn fat, lowers resting heart rate, and boosts mitochondrial health (aka your energy engines).

Try This:

• Take a 45-minute walk after lunch a few times a week
• Light jog, bike ride, or swim at a pace where you can still hold a conversation
• Brisk walk with your dog (double points if you’re also training them to be your blood sugar buddy)

How Yoga Fits:

A steady-paced Vinyasa or Flow class done for 45 minutes can keep you in a Zone 2 heart rate zone. Especially if you’re moving continuously with the breath.

Goal: 2–3 sessions a week, 30–60 minutes each.

⚡ 2. High-Intensity (Short Bursts, Big Impact)

This is the “get out of breath fast” kind of exercise that builds VO2 max—your body’s ability to deliver oxygen efficiently. This is highly correlated with longevity and heart health.

Try This:

• 20 minutes of interval sprints: run or bike hard for 30 seconds, then rest for 90 seconds
• Add short bursts of effort (like fast stairs or shadow boxing) after a warm-up walk

How Yoga Fits:

Lots of yoga isn’t high intensity—but you can add intervals at the end of your practice (e.g., 3 rounds of fast sun salutations, or breath of fire followed by strong holds). It’s also a great recovery tool between HIIT days.

Goal: 1–2 sessions a week, short and intense.

💪 3. Strength or Resistance Training

This is about preserving muscle, boosting metabolism, protecting joints, and improving insulin sensitivity—especially important as we age.

Try This:

• Two full-body strength sessions per week with weights, bands, or bodyweight
• Mix yoga with strength circuits: hold chair pose, chaturanga, and bridge longer for resistance
• Use your own body in yoga as resistance—arm balances, planks, and slow controlled movements count

How Yoga Fits:

Yoga builds isometric strength and teaches control. Use it to supplement resistance training or as a functional strength base if you’re not lifting weights.

Goal: 2–4 times a week.

🌀 4. Mobility, Stability & Functional Movement

This often-overlooked category is the secret to feeling younger and avoiding injury. It helps with posture, joint health, flexibility, and balance.

Try This:

• Add 5–10 minutes of stretching at the end of your day
• Practice standing on one leg while brushing your teeth or making coffee
• Use foam rollers, mobility balls, or short yoga sessions to stay limber

How Yoga Fits:

Yoga is the gold standard here. A well-rounded yoga practice enhances spinal mobility, hip flexibility, balance, breath control, and core strength integration. Even 15 minutes a day makes a big difference.

Goal: Daily or at least 5 days a week, even in small doses.

☑ Bonus: NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)

This is just a fancy term for moving more in your regular life. It’s the walking, housework, gardening, dog-walking, and stair-taking that adds up. And yes—it helps with blood sugar and mood, too.

Try This:

• Walk after meals, even just 10 minutes
• Take calls standing or walking
• Set a timer to stretch or move every hour

How Yoga Fits:

Gentle yoga flows or seated stretches throughout your workday are a great way to sneak in NEAT while calming the nervous system.

How to Make It All Happen (Without Losing Your Mind)

You don’t need to spend hours in the gym. Most people can build a well-rounded weekly routine in 5–6 sessions, mixing and matching styles.

Here’s an example:

Day Activity
Mon 30 min walk (Zone 2) + 15 min yoga
Tue 30 min resistance training
Wed Rest or gentle yoga (mobility)
Thu 20 min HIIT + yoga cool-down
Fri 30–60 min yoga (Zone 2 or mobility)
Sat Full-body strength or yoga with strength focus
Sun Nature walk or gentle recovery yoga

Want Help Tracking It?

Grab your free Weekly Exercise Checklist to help you stay consistent and balanced:

👉 Download Printable PDF/Word File
You don’t have to be perfect. Just intentional. If you’re aiming for more energy, hormone balance, blood sugar support, and strength as you age, this is the foundation.

Please let me know if you would like a customized version of this plan tailored to your current fitness level, health condition, or specific goals. I love helping people build routines that fit real life.

About the Author

Karin Collinsworth is a change professional, a passionate integrative and Public Health advocate, a Certified coach & yoga therapist with over 40 years of experience navigating Type 1 Diabetes, metabolic health, and longevity using an easy integrative approach. She’s passionate about helping others stabilize blood sugar, prevent complications, and age vibrantly—all while integrating mindfulness, yoga, and nutrition into daily life.

🐶 She also specializes in helping owners train their own dog as a blood sugar alert dogs to help manage their diabetes more effectively!

🌱 Join the journey: Linktree.com/Karin_C