Research studies happen all the time and can lead to all kinds of conclusions. There have been a few people specifically whose studies have impacted how I go about exercising and motivating others to exercise. In the very beginning of my career as I was ending college and starting to work in the field, I was given the task to compile information about research studies pertaining to older adults. This left me in awe of how exercise can improve the quality of one's life, not just make someone look good or help them perform better. From then on I pursued a profession where I was helping people improve the quality of their lives, instead of helping people go from a 6-pack to an 8.
Dr. Wayne Westcott did a lot of research on how strength training helps older adults in their ability to remain independent. This is a big deal: the ability to stand up unassisted, the ability to walk from point A to point B, being able to do your own laundry and clean your own house, shop for your food and prepare it. Fitness for the older adult means doing exercises that will help a person accomplish these tasks. Working with this population and viewing fitness in a different way than I had in the past helped shape my fitness philosophy, and it can apply to all generations. Fitness helps us function. Doing exercise in a way that will help us do life well is a worthy investment.
Dan Buettner spent a lot of time studying
"Blue Zones", which are areas in the world where much of the population live long, healthy lives. Many of the people who have lived long, healthy lives did not spend hours at the gym.
They did, however, have active lives and were strong in the ways that mattered; the ways that helped them thrive in their daily lives.
Something to consider: spend more time living life and less time worrying about how to work out the best way. Try to figure out ways to make your every day life an active one and focus on functional fitness that will give you a better quality of life.
Fitness Philosophy: Part 1--Motivation
Fitness Philosophy: Part 2--Family over fitness