We’re all searching for the secret to anti-ageing. Some people turn to expensive creams, others hunt for supplements that promise miracles and plenty try to “hack” their biology with unusual routines. The funny thing is that the body already has powerful anti-ageing systems built in. These systems work quietly in the background every day, repairing damage, recycling old cells, clearing debris and adjusting energy production.
The challenge is that these housekeeping processes naturally slow down with time. Lifestyle choices can either support them or push them in the wrong direction. One of the most influential of these internal systems sits inside almost every cell in the body: the mitochondria.
The Body’s Own Anti-Ageing Toolkit
Mitochondria are only one part of a broader collection of anti-ageing mechanisms. The body carries out constant cellular repair, manages oxidative stress, initiates autophagy, restores damaged components and uses stress signals to trigger adaptation. These processes form an internal maintenance system that helps keep tissues healthy.
As people get older, these repair mechanisms become less responsive and slower to act. Even though the body still tries to correct damage, it struggles to keep pace. This is where lifestyle choices come into the equation. Movement, nutrition and stress regulation all influence these systems, especially the mitochondria, which tend to respond strongly to physical and metabolic inputs.
Mitochondria 101
Mitochondria are often called the cell’s powerhouses, but their role goes far beyond energy production. They influence metabolic regulation, cell signalling, inflammation control and the decision-making processes that determine when a cell repairs itself or shuts down. They support strength, mobility, cognition, cardiovascular performance and overall resilience.
They rely on several key processes to stay healthy. Mitochondrial biogenesis increases the number and size of mitochondria. Mitophagy clears damaged ones. Mitochondrial dynamics, which involve fusion and fission, let the cell respond to stress, repair damage and adjust energy output.
Ageing slows all of these processes. Mitochondria become less efficient. They produce less ATP, accumulate structural damage and lose the ability to recycle themselves. This affects muscle function, walking speed, cardiovascular fitness, metabolic stability and recovery. These shifts contribute to fatigue, slower movement, reduced strength and increased frailty. This biological story is part of what learners study in a personal trainer course when exploring the science behind movement and ageing.
Why Mitochondrial Decline Drives Ageing
Mitochondrial decline shows up in very physical, noticeable ways. Walking speed drops. Strength declines. Recovery slows. Muscles lose their ability to sustain activity. Studies such as those from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging show that mitochondrial oxidative capacity predicts mobility and long-term function. Reduced oxidative output limits ATP production. Damaged mitochondria release more oxidative stress. Mitophagy slows, leaving dysfunctional mitochondria in place.
All of this contributes to a cycle of worsening energy production. As the system becomes less efficient, the body works harder just to perform everyday tasks. This explains why fatigue and reduced movement often accelerate each other as we get older. Once these patterns take hold, they become a major factor in frailty and long-term health outcomes.
Leveraging Mitochondrial Stress to Improve Healthy Ageing
A recent review by Gorgori-Gonzalez and colleagues (2025) explored this decline in detail and examined how mild mitochondrial stress can improve resilience. The authors described how mitochondrial dysfunction sits at the centre of frailty and sarcopenia. They highlighted how ageing disrupts mitochondrial quality-control pathways, reduces oxidative capacity and limits the cell’s ability to respond to biological stress. The review introduced the concept of “mitohormesis,” which is the idea that low-level, controlled stress encourages the body to strengthen its mitochondrial systems. Exercise and certain nutritional compounds were identified as important triggers for these adaptive responses.
One of the most interesting angles in the paper is how positively mitochondria respond to the right kind of challenge. When stress remains low and controlled, the cell adapts by improving its energy systems and antioxidant responses. Movement introduces mild stress into the muscles, and the body responds by building stronger, more efficient mitochondria. Endurance training stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis and increases mitochondrial DNA copy number, which is a sign of the cell’s ability to produce more mitochondria and support greater energy capacity. Resistance training improves ADP sensitivity, increases complex IV activity, that is helping the mitochondria process oxygen more efficiently, and enhances the turnover of damaged mitochondria.
The review also included evidence for nutritional compounds that act as mild mitochondrial stressors. Metformin (a drug for type 2 diabetes), Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG, found in green tea), glucosamine, spermidine, urolithin A, piceid and harmol appear to produce small disturbances that trigger resilience pathways linked to adenosine monophosphate–activated protein kinase (AMPK, which regulates energy production), sirtuin 1 (SIRT1, a protein that helps regulate ageing), nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (NRF2, the body’s master antioxidant switch) and autophagy. These compounds offer additional support alongside movement and whole-food nutrition. This provides interesting context for learners completing a nutrition coach course who want to understand how diet influences cellular ageing.
What This Means for Ageing and Longevity
As we’ve mentioned, mitochondrial health influences strength, mobility, cardiovascular performance and recovery. When mitochondrial systems remain responsive, people often feel more energetic and capable. When they begin to fail, movement becomes harder and tissues take longer to heal. A decline in gait speed, balance and strength follows. These changes happen gradually and most people notice them long before they realise mitochondria are involved.
Healthy mitochondria help maintain independence and function. They support the body’s natural repair systems making it easier to handle physical activity and daily life. They also help preserve cognitive clarity and metabolic balance. As a result, mitochondrial health plays a central role in long-term wellbeing and quality of life.
Practical Applications
For us as fitness professionals working with older adults, mitochondrial science becomes surprisingly practical. Exercise needs to be regular and consistent because mitochondrial adaptations grow over time. Activities that challenge the aerobic system help expand mitochondrial capacity. Steady-state walking, relaxed jogging, interval cycling and other forms of continuous movement stimulate the mitochondrial machinery.
Resistance training creates a different kind of demand that supports mitochondrial responsiveness. Strong contractions encourage mitochondria to become more efficient. Strength work also protects type II fibres, which naturally shrink during ageing. Improving leg strength boosts gait speed, balance and functional mobility. These ideas feature widely in fitness courses and provide a solid foundation for programme design.
Assessments are just as important. Grip strength, sit-to-stand tests and walking speed provide valuable information about mitochondrial and neuromuscular health. These measures help us track changes and identify when extra support is needed.
Nutrition and recovery habits also matter. Whole foods supply the micronutrients needed for mitochondrial enzyme activity and repair. Polyphenol-rich foods ,such as blueberries, raspberries, green tea, dark chocolate etc., may offer small hormetic signals that support resilience. Sleep and stress management reinforce the adaptations stimulated by exercise.
We should encourage clients to adopt daily movement routines that spark mitochondrial turnover. Movement snacks, short bouts of activity, low-intensity aerobic work and controlled strength sessions all contribute. Once people understand that movement shapes their cellular ageing, they often feel more motivated to keep going.
Other Research
Other studies back up these ideas. Work from Zane et al. (2017) demonstrated that muscle strength mediates the relationship between mitochondrial energetics and walking performance. Research by González-Freire et al. (2018) highlighted how mitochondrial respiration correlates with cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength. Studies by Irving et al. (2015) and Porter et al. (2015) showed clear mitochondrial benefits following both endurance and resistance training. Research by Ryu et al. (2016) brought attention to urolithin A and its impact on mitophagy and muscle function.
Taken together, these findings give us a strong evidence base for designing programmes that support mitochondrial health across the lifespan.
Bringing It All Together
Mitochondrial health shapes how people age. Movement, nutrition and recovery influence how well these systems function. When they respond well, people tend to feel stronger, more energetic and more independent. This gives our clients a sense of control over their ageing process. It also gives us a clear, science-based framework for supporting long-term wellbeing.
Supporting mitochondrial health through purposeful movement and informed lifestyle choices offers one of the most grounded ways to help people feel better for longer. When we understand this we are able to fully guide clients with more confidence and deliver programmes rooted in solid evidence.
Reference
- Gorgori-Gonzalez, A., Soto-Rodriguez, S., Tamayo-Torres, E., Garcia-Dominguez, E., Sebastia, V., Gambini, J., Olaso-Gonzalez, G., & Gomez-Cabrera, M. C. (2025). Leveraging mitochondrial stress to improve healthy aging. Sports Medicine and Health Science. Click here to review the full research article.
- Zane, A. C., Reiter, D. A., Shardell, M., et al. (2017). Muscle strength mediates the relationship between mitochondrial energetics and walking performance. Aging Cell, 16(3), 461–468. Click here to review the full research article.
- González-Freire, M., Scalzo, P., D’Agostino, J., et al. (2018). Skeletal muscle ex vivo mitochondrial respiration parallels decline in vivo oxidative capacity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscle strength. Aging Cell, 17(2), e12725. Click here to review the full research article.
- Irving, B. A., Lanza, I. R., Henderson, G. C., et al. (2015). Combined training enhances skeletal muscle mitochondrial oxidative capacity independent of age. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 100(4), 1654–1663. Click here to review the full research article.
- Porter, C., Reidy, P. T., Bhattarai, N., et al. (2015). Resistance exercise training alters mitochondrial function in human skeletal muscle. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 47(9), 1922–1931. Click here to review the full research article.
- Ryu, D., Mouchiroud, L., Andreux, P. A., et al. (2016). Urolithin A induces mitophagy and prolongs lifespan in C. elegans and increases muscle function in rodents. Nature Medicine, 22, 879–888. Click here to review the full research article.
Turn Cutting-Edge Mitochondrial Research into Practical Client Results
The Nutrition & Exercise Specialist and Master Diplomas™ are designed for those who want to work at the leading edge of healthy ageing. The recent review on mitochondrial health highlights just how powerful exercise and nutrition can be. Mitochondrial oxidative capacity is the only biological marker consistently linked with two of the strongest predictors of long-term health: walking speed and muscle strength. Research also shows that resistance training can improve ADP sensitivity and boost complex IV activity in older adults, while endurance training can increase mitochondrial DNA copy number and elevate key regulators like PGC-1α and TFAM. These findings underline the impact a well-structured programme can have on ageing physiology. The diplomas give you the depth of knowledge needed to design evidence-based training and nutrition strategies that support mitochondrial resilience, improve functional capacity and help clients stay stronger for longer.
Nutrition & Exercise Specialist/Master – Distance Study, In-Person & Live-Virtual
