Fitness Benefits

I may be the one of the only members of Jamo’s fit tribe who is not first and foremost concerned with my “six pack”(though as I said I am proud of it) but I am a fitness freak! My reasons for promoting fitness and nutrition are related to minimizing illness through maximizing health.

Next time someone says people who focus heavily on fitness are superficial, give them an ear full!

Fitness not only makes you feel better about yourself, it also improves your mood in general. In addition to raising the levels of endorphins in your brain (those “natural high” molecules) strength training leads to increased testosterone and growth hormone levels (1) and both these hormones are associated with improved mood both in men and women. Watch out, though, heavy endurance training, on the contrary, is associated with decreased testosterone levels, decreased growth hormone levels, increased cortisol levels and premature aging (ouch!) probably due to inadequate replacement of increased vitamin and mineral needs.

Physical fitness leads to less depression and anxiety. In fact, studies show exercise is as effective as meds in treating depression in those who exercise regularly. I feel the lack of side effects makes exercise a better first choice in most cases.

Exercise increases mental alertness, improves concentration and delays the onset of senility.

Aside form the head; exercise is good for the heart and cardiovascular system. To mention just a few of the benefits to the heart: exercise reverses heart disease (that’s a pretty good benefit!) through reducing serum triglycerides (fats), reducing LDL (bad) cholesterol, increasing HDL (good) cholesterol, decreasing high blood pressure back to normal range, improving glucose intolerance and diabetes, decreasing intraabdominal fat (an independent risk factor of heart disease) and decreasing the risk of blood clots in the legs and lungs.

Exercise decreases the risk of cancer, particularly cancer of the breast, colon and prostate (2,3,4). This is related to reduced body fat, reduced stress cortisol levels, improved hormonal balance and a general strengthening of the immune system.

Exercise aids in the removal of toxins from the body. The skin is very good at excreting in sweat a variety of toxins such as heavy metals (like lead and mercury) and pesticides. These toxins can cause heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and other chronic diseases.

Detoxification is a very important issue for everyone these days and I will address it in greater detail in later articles. In the meantime, keep exercising, supported by the fact that you are making yourself look better on the inside as well as the outside!

References
1.Hakkinen K et al, Neuromuscular and hormonal adaptations to strength training in two years. J Appl Physiol, 1998 Dec 65 (6) 2406-12.

2.Patel AV et al. Recreational physical activity and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer in a large cohort of US women. Cancer Causes Control 2003 Aug:14 (6) 519-29. Am Cancer Society.

3.Morales KH, et al. Risk of internal cancers from arsenic in drinking water. Environ Health Perspective 2000 Jul:108 (7) 655-61.

4.Torti DC, Matheson GO. Exercise and Prostate Cancer. Sports Med 2004: 34(6) 363-9, Stanford Univ.