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Exercise is Not an Option…It’s a Requirement

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July 17, 2009
	Dr. Gary Huber : Head Medical Ego

Let’s get sweaty. Let’s get fired up and look at what your daily run, jog, bike, swim, or lift is doing for you. If you don’t have a daily sweat habit then maybe this article is targeted just for you. Too many people have the notion that exercise just burns calories. That’s like saying a Ferrari is basic transportation. So let’s explore the multiple benefits of exercise.

First of all exercise is defined as getting your resting heart rate to rise by more than 50%. For most of us that means a minimum of 120 beats per minute. Walking is nice activity but unless you are elderly or have physical limitations, this is not the same as exercise. Exercise is a little more intense and sends very distinct messages to your bodies control panel. Any type of exercise such as lifting or running, that is intense enough to be a stress to the body, is sending a declaration to your body that says “giddy up, we have work to do.” Your body responds with a myriad of biochemical results.

One of the greatest is a kick in the pants to your pituitary gland to stimulate growth hormone production. Growth hormone is the natural biochemical fountain of youth that declines as we age but exercise favorably alters this and stimulates a natural growth hormone surge that helps maintain a youthful, flexible, resilient body. The activity also favorably stresses our bones to cause a normal reaction to regenerate bone density and postpones bone loss. The more you exercise the stronger your bones become.

What about diabetes and heart disease? Exercise directly influences your insulin receptors making them function more effectively. This serves to make you very resistant to developing diabetes. The result is a body that uses insulin very efficiently and so the total amount of insulin you produce on a daily basis is kept to a minimum. The less insulin you produce over your lifetime the slower you will age. An energy efficient body that produces very little insulin burns fat very effectively. Insulin sends your body a signal that says “STOP BURNING FAT !” So the lower your cumulative insulin, the leaner and younger your body will be.

Did you know that your body has good cholesterol called high density lipoprotein (HDL) that actually takes the bad LDL cholesterol back to the liver for breakdown? Exercise is the best way to increase HDL in your body which serves to keep cholesterol in check. Exercise will also increase the level of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in muscle tissue which aids your body’s ability to burn triglycerides as fuel. This reduces blood fat and lowers triglyceride levels. The more you exercise the less likely you will ever need a statin and the cost of a gym membership is a fraction of the cost of statins.

And as if all that weren’t enough, how about free detox? Yes that lovely glistening sweat is your bonus as the body purges toxins such as heavy metals, plastic residue, pesticides, food chemicals and much more. This detoxification is part of your body’s essential cleansing process and when you deny your body this healthy practice then these chemicals build up and make you sick.

No one has stress these days, right? Exercise will reduce stress hormones such as cortisol and improve your sleep cycle. High stress has a bad effect on sleep and both will raise cortisol and all three will lead to weight gain. Exercise is the one common denominator that can favorably impact all of them. If you have tried to diet your way to a leaner body then you probably only had very limited success if you weren’t also exercising. That’s because exercise aids insulin control and lowers cortisol, which then impacts thyroid function. All of these entangled hormonal signals have a huge impact on whether or not your body will burn fat efficiently. Cortisol is a killer, literally, and exercise is one of the best ways to reduce it.

Studies have shown that exercise also improves cognition (brain power) in many ways. People who exercise regularly have greater ability to focus, more creativity of thought, and better memory. Apparently removing those toxins from your brain is a good thing.

So let’s review: decreased risk for diabetes, heart disease and cholesterol issues. Better insulin control leading to slower aging and fewer wrinkles. Smarter, leaner, more creative, less stressed, better sleep, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. You know there’s a drug company somewhere trying in vain to shove all that into a pill but it is yours for the taking with just a small investment of your time. You would have to have toxins in your brain not to take me up on this deal.

Now that you know the “why,” in an upcoming article we’ll talk about some of the “how’s.” For example, “how” to make it fun and enjoyable. Yes, I said enjoyable. What’s that you say? Careful, one more word out of you and I’ll have you doing laps after class to the beat of the Hokey Pokey.