Healthy Exercise
Get at least 15 minutes of movement every day. This can be as simple as a walk after dinner.
· Exercise is one of the most important things you can do to stay healthy. Sedentary lifestyle is a bigger risk factor for disease than smoking. Most of us do not get enough movement and exercise.
· There are two primary benefits of exercise. It keeps our brain healthy, and it improves our ability to produce energy efficiently.
Exercise and Your Brain
· Movement is good for our brain. This is especially true for any movement that requires balance. Bouncing on a mini trampoline provides especially good stimulation for the brain. You can buy a mini trampoline at a sports store for about $35.
· Spend at least 15 minutes a day moving. Some suggestions are a walk in the evening or bouncing on a mini trampoline while watching TV. You will feel better.
· If you work at a desk, take a break every hour to stand or walk for a few minutes. Try standing up and bouncing up and down on your toes for a couple of minutes.
Maximize the Brain-Building Benefits of Movement
· Muscles need to slide past each other smoothly. When one contracts, the other relaxes. Adhesions and restrictions between muscles interfere with their ability to move independently. Muscles that can’t move freely send confusing signals to the brain, and this causes stress instead of benefit.
· Muscle Release Technique (MRT) is a procedure that frees the muscles to move independently. It improves joint function and assures maximum neurological benefit from exercise.
· The need for MRT is evaluated using chiropractic neurology and muscle testing as described in the article Chiropractic Neurology.
Exercise and Energy Production
· Every cell in our body produces energy to do its work.
· Exercise improves our body’s ability to make energy. Inefficient energy production sets the stage for all types of diseases, from fibromyalgia and cancer to Alzheimer’s disease.
· There are two energy systems in our body.
· The aerobic system burns fat. It is our most efficient, basic and preferred energy system. When we exercise correctly we build the capacity of our aerobic fat-burning energy system.
· The anaerobic system burns sugar for fuel. It is our back up, “emergency” system for those times we when our energy demands exceed the capacity of our aerobic system. The anaerobic energy system produces energy in spurts, it is inefficient, and it produces toxic by-products. When we get “out of breath”, we are engaging our anaerobic energy system.
· The aerobic energy system provides most of our energy when we are healthy. When we are sick or out of shape, the anaerobic system produces more of our energy.
· Exercise and diet are the two ways to build our aerobic energy system. (see the article Basics of a Healthy Diet)
· We have to be smart about how we exercise. Many people with good intentions exercise too intensely.
· Exercise at a moderate intensity. When we exercise at mild intensity we activate the aerobic system. Strenuous exercise exceeds the capacity of the aerobic system and activates the anaerobic system. This is stressful for our body and it is counterproductive in most situations. Exercise enough, but not too much.
· The best way to determine your optimal exercise zone is to keep your heart rate in the range prescribed by the 180 Formula. (The ‘Breath Test’ and the widely used ‘220 Formula’ are out of date methods of determining your exercise heart rate.) This formula is described in the article Determine Your Maximum Aerobic Function.
· Use a heart rate monitor. You can buy one for less than $100 at a sports store.
· Most “aerobics” classes are not really aerobic. They push people into the anaerobic zone by either ignoring heart rate or by using one of the older formulas.
To Improve Energy Production
· Exercise at moderate intensity. Stay within your optimal heart rate range.
· Exercise for 15 to 20 minutes in your optimal heart rate zone at least four days a week.
· Eat a healthy diet (Basics of a Healthy Diet) and use nutritional supplements that help your aerobic energy system do its job.
· Keep your hormones balanced for optimal energy production. See articles on Stress and Your Hormones, Manage Your Blood Sugar, Thyroid Health, Male Hormones, and Female Hormones for more information about hormones and energy production.
Some fats are healthy and other fats are not.
· Healthy Carbohydrate. Some types of carbohydrate are healthy and some are not.
· Healthy Protein. High protein diets are not healthy in the long run. Learn about how to best provide what your body needs.
· Your Colon and Your Health. Your colon has a big effect of hormones. It effects thyroid function, estrogen, adrenal function and more.
· Strengthen Your Digestion. Your digestion effects your hormones and your hormones effect your digestion.
· Water. Learn about healthy affordable drinking water, shower water and bath water.
· Weight Loss.
