Health Benefits of Exercise

“Walking is a man's best medicine”  - Hippocrates (Greek physician 460 BC - 377 BC)

Improves sensitivity to INSULIN and LEPTIN hormones - with the secondary benefits of weight loss and normalization of blood sugars. LEPTIN is the appetite suppressant/fat-burning hormone that says “STOP EATING”.

Improves your state of mind

-   In part by affecting your body's levels of two chemicals:

▲   CORTISOL.   Produced in response to stress, increases blood pressure and blood sugar, weakens your immune response and can lead to organ inflammation and damage. But working out burns CORTISOL restoring your body's normal levels.

▲   Endorphins.   Exercise can also cause your brain to release endorphins, your body's natural pain relievers.

-   High-intensity exercise has euphoric effect.  Run/bike/swim as fast as you can for 30 - 40 seconds and then reduce your speed to a gentle pace for 5 minutes before sprinting again.

-   Improves self-esteem.   By improving your body image.

-   Research supports “Exercise”treatments for depression.   A study conducted by Duke University in the late 1990's divided depressed patients into three treatment groups:

1) Exercise only

2) Exercise plus antidepressant

3) Antidepressant drug only

After six weeks, the drug-only group was doing slightly better than the other two groups. However, after 10 months of follow-up, it was the exercise-only group that had the highest remission and stay-well rate. Exercise needs to be sustained and produce sweat.

Babyak M, Blumenthal JA, Herman S, Khatri P, Doraiswamy M, Moore K, Craighead WE, Baldewicz TT, Krishnan KR. Exercise treatment for major depression: maintenance of therapeutic benefit at 10 months. Psychosom Med. 2000 Sep-Oct;62(5):633-8. PubMed

Increases learning ability.   Increases the level of brain chemicals called growth factors that help make new brain cells.

Reverses negative effects of stress.   Boosts levels of calming brain neurotransmitters, E.g. serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.

Exercise moves lymph fluid.   The body's lymph system

-   Carries NUTRIENTS TO THE BODY

-   Carries TOXINS OUT OF THE BODY.   Unlike the blood, the lymphatic system has no automatic pumping system, and is only moved by muscle contraction. i.e. movement / exercising.

Resistance training program for elderly study improved strength, balance and depression.    8 weeks of progressive resistance training increased strength by 200% in 90 year old humans.10 weeks of training gave 300% increase in strength, improved balance, and relief from depression.