“Exercise is the key not only to physical health, but to peace of mind” said Nelson Mandela.
“Exercise is king. Nutrition is queen. Put them together and you’ve got a kingdom” said Jack LaLane.
“If you don’t make time for exercise, you’ll probably have to make time for illness” said Robin Sharma.
I got exposed to these, and other exercise mantras much later in life! But thank God for that, and that I did make time for exercise, in good time. The result - I have not suffered any illness ever since. Fun fact - I do not have a family Doctor for the last 15 years - I have had no need for one, nor do I need any medication (at age 58)! Is this all to do with exercise? I have no final answer, but there does seem a strong correlation.
Let us look at the latest research on exercise and its effects:
On Age Reversal and Life Expectancy:
High levels of exercise linked to nine years of less aging at the cellular level according to a study from Brigham Young University in 20171
Regular physical activity increases Life Expectancy by 4 - 6, years according to a study in 20122
On Heart health and cholesterol:
Exercise reduces blood pressure, lowers LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, increases HDL cholesterol, helps control blood sugar levels, slows the heart rate, etc.3
On Diabetes:
Structured interventions combining Physical Activity and modest weight loss have been shown to lower type 2 diabetes risk by up to 58% in high-risk populations, according to a study in 2010.4
On Weight loss:
Aerobic exercise alone results in clinically significant weight loss5, however the best way to lose excess weight is to combine aerobic exercise with a calorie restricted diet and strength training.
On Brain health:
Physical activity can improve your cognitive health—helping you think, learn, problem-solve, and enjoy an emotional balance. It can improve mood and memory, and also reduce anxiety or depression. 6
On Muscle health:
Strength training exercise helps build our muscles, and this helps us in multiple ways: makes us stronger, increases our metabolism, decreases abdominal fat, decreases the risk of falls and injuries, promotes greater mobility and flexibility and generally improves the quality of life. The average person starts losing muscle as early as age 25. From 40 to 70 years old, muscle loss averages 8 percent per decade, and then accelerates to 15 percent per decade, after age 70. It is critical to replenish this muscle loss by exercise and correct nutrition.
On Immune function:
A healthy immune system protects our body from bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens we encounter daily. Moderate intensity exercise helps our immune system by stimulating cellular immunity, increasing body temperature, helping us sleep better, decreasing stress, improving digestion, decreases risk of infectious and other diseases, etc. In fact new research even indicates how exercise can be used as a tool to help the immune system against COVID-197
On Cancer:
Regular exercising not only helps reduce the risk of cancer but also has a positive effect on people undergoing cancer treatment8. Exercise helps cancer survivors cope with and recover from treatment; exercise may improve the health of long term cancer survivors and extend survival. Physical exercise will benefit throughout the spectrum of cancer.
On Energy:
Scientists agree that regular exercise has a positive effect on energy levels. In fact, based on my personal experience, physical activity helps improve productivity as well. So, if you are feeling low, or unproductive, you should probably go for a run!9
On Inflammation:
Aging results in chronic low grade inflammation that is associated with increased risk for disease, poor physical functioning and mortality. Moderate and regular exercise reduces fat mass and adipose tissue inflammation which is known to contribute to systemic inflammation. Independent of losses of fat mass, exercise also increases muscle production of IL-6 which is known to reduce TNF-α production and increase anti-inflammatory cytokines10.
On Self-confidence:
Exercising or being physically active improves our confidence, self-esteem, and self-worth. It stimulates positive energy in our body and has amazing physical and mental health benefits. As mentioned before, exercise helps with depression, stress, obesity, and various health issues – the major reasons for an individual’s low self-worth and confidence.
So exercise has plenty of positive benefits.
But how does one exercise?
What is the best way?
How to exercise:
There are basically 2 types of exercise:
Aerobic exercise: Or Aerobics, also known as “cardio”, is any type of cardiovascular conditioning. By definition, aerobic exercise means “with oxygen.” Your breathing and heart rate will increase during aerobic activities. It can include activities like brisk walking, swimming, running, cycling, rowing, dancing, hiking, climbing, playing a vigorous sport, etc.
Strength training: Strength training, also called weight training or resistance training, helps make you stronger and also builds muscle endurance. It is often associated with the lifting of weights. It can also incorporate a variety of training techniques such as calisthenics, isometrics, and plyometrics.
In Strength training, you move your body against some type of resistance, such as:
your body weight
free weights, like dumbbells or barbells
resistance bands, also known as resistance tubing or workout bands
resistance machines, like cable machines, single-exercise machines, or multi-gym systems
Any exercise, is typically, either of the above, or will involve some combination of the two.
To start, you must fix your exercise goals, which can be: to simply stay fit, to lose weight, improve your BMI, lose fat, build muscles, boost Cardio endurance to run a marathon, or similar, increase flexibility, etc. Create a good weekly exercise program including both Cardio and Strength training, to realize your specific goals. Track your training on a daily and weekly basis and log your progress. Fine tune your exercise program based on your progress on a weekly basis
How much to exercise:
Aerobic exercise: Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity. The guidelines suggest that you spread out this exercise during the course of a week. To provide even greater health benefit and to assist with weight loss or maintaining weight loss, at least 300 minutes a week is recommended. But even small amounts of physical activity are helpful. Being active for short periods of time throughout the day can add up to provide health benefits.
Strength training. Do strength training exercises for all major muscle groups (chest, legs, back, arms and shoulders, and abs or abdominals) at least two times a week. Aim to do a single set of each exercise using a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 to 15 repetitions.
Most exercise enthusiasts’ workout about 1 hour a day, six times a week, combining aerobic and strength training as per their personal goals.
When are you overdoing it?
Excessive exercise on the other hand can cause muscle soreness, injuries, tiredness, depression, poor immunity, lack of sleep and energy, cardio stress, and other serious detrimental effects to one’s health. This is known as “burnout” or “overtraining syndrome” - OTS.
Here’s how you can avoid OTS: go easy on yourself, listen to your body, change your exercise protocols regularly, set realistic goals, track your training, eat well and sleep well, keep time for recovery: have one rest day every week, finally talk to an expert.
How to stay motivated to exercise:
Most people start on an exercise plan and somehow get bored in a few days and get off the plan, and stop exercising!
Here are some ideas on how to stay motivated and on how to make exercise a part of your daily routine:
Add exercise to your daily calendar
Try to plan your workout at a fixed time each day
Set your workout goals for a fixed period and track yourself daily
Plan a different workout for each day of the week
Make the workout a fun experience
Plan your workout with friends or better still, join a group / community
Get competitive with yourself: like do everything better than you did last week and so on
Reward yourself when you achieve your goal
Stay positive and believe that your workout goals Will be achieved
So stay motivated, know that all the research data points in only one direction - exercise is good for you, in every which way possible.
Exercising is a part of my daily dairy and I cannot image a time - whether I am at home, traveling on work, or out on a vacation, where some sort of a workout is not part of my day! Maybe this is the key for my good health so far!
So what is Your workout plan, starting tomorrow?
Akkshay Mehta
(Age Reversal Evangelist)
This blog is my effort to inspire you with the latest developments in the space of healthspan, lifespan and age reversal. In simple English! Do share and Stay tuned.
I would love to hear from you. I can be reached at mehtaakkshay@gmail.com
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