Chapter 16
EXERCISE: MOVE OR DIE
No one likes to hear this, but it's true. If you don't move, you die. Exercise fundamentally changes every system and function in your body.
Circulation
First and foremost, exercise is about circulation—and not just blood circulation, but every circulation system in the body.
Blood
Exercise definitely improves the flow of blood. Think what this means for a moment. Even if you eat healthy foods and partake of the most powerful supplements in the world, if that nutrition can't easily reach some part[1] of your body because circulation is restricted, then that part will suffer, waste away, and become diseased. If the blockage is total, that part will die. Blood also brings oxygen to and removes carbon dioxide waste from every cell and organ in your body. Again, if circulation is restricted, the cell or organ slowly suffocates in its own waste. And finally, blood carries immune cells, and pH balancers into every part of your body.
[1 This could be an organ, a group of cells within an organ, or even one single cell.]
(Lessons from the Miracle Doctors - 136 - Exercise: Move or Die)
Lymph
Back in Chapter 3, we talked about how your lymph is your body's sewer system, removing dead cells, waste, toxic matter, heavy metals, bacteria, etc. from body tissue. Unfortunately, the lymph system has no pump of its own. To a large degree, your body depends on muscle movement to press waste through the lymph system. If you don't move, your lymph is stagnant; you end up poisoning yourself; you die. (Keep in mind that this statement is both absolute and relative. In other words, it's definite that stagnant lymph will ultimately destroy your health, but the process
may take a number of years in some people.)
Heart
The heart is a muscle and grows stronger with exercise.
Blood Pressure
Exercise lowers blood pressure
Colon
Exercise is a key factor in promoting peristalsis and relieving constipation.
Bones
Exercise increases bone density.
Cancer
As the New England Journal of Medicine reported in their May 1, 1997 issue, women who exercise regularly reduce their risk of breast cancer by 72%.
Strength
Strength is not just for showing off in the weight room. It is essential as we get older. People who exercise regularly are far less likely to fall and break bones. Not only because the exercise has
made them stronger, but also because the exercise gave them better balance and because the larger muscle mass cushions the bones better and protects them.
Body Fat
There's nothing more fundamental to losing body fat than exercise. Not, as many people think, because the exercise burns the fat off, but rather, because muscle burns fat even while you sleep.
The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. Sixty to 70% of the energy your muscles burn (even while sleeping) is fat. Every pound of muscle that you have burns fat calories 24 hours
a day. Think about that. If you add four pounds of muscle to your body, every day you automatically burn an extra 200 calories or so, free of charge (plus another 200 calories from your exercise).
Energy
The Chinese call it Chi; the yogis of India call it Prana; here in the States, people call it Life Force. Whatever you call it, it can be seen, measured, photographed, felt, and manipulated. According
to Chinese medicine, restriction in its flow is the ultimate cause of all disease. Exercise stimulates and helps move this "energy" through blocked areas of the body.
Biochemical Changes
Exercise produces "happy" biochemicals called endorphins. Sometimes called "the runner's high," these endorphins drive away stress and depression and stimulate the immune system.
In addition, exercise increases levels of human growth hormone (the youth hormone) in the body. Aerobic exercise can increase HGH levels by as much as 200%. Weight training can increase
HGH levels an astounding 400%.
Strength Benefits
Everyone thinks of strength training as a young person's activity, but in fact, the older you are, the more benefits it provides.
>As reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, two 45-minute weight (strength) training sessions a week can improve bone density, muscle mass, strength, balance, and physical activity in older women (ages 50-70).
>After one year of strength training, women emerged physiologically younger by 15-20 years than when they began. Other studies have demonstrated the same results for men who weight train.
>People in their 70s and 80s can experience strength gains of as much as 180% in a matter of just a few weeks.
General Recommendations
Actually, you need to cross-train for maximum benefit. You need to do aerobic exercise, weight training, and stretching.
>Aerobic exercise should be practiced every other day. By definition, aerobic exercise:
-Is continuous—non-stop.
-Lasts at least 12 minutes—preferably 20 minutes or more. The key is to exercise longer, not harder.
>Has a comfortable pace—not so fast that you can't talk during it if you want.
-Involves your leg muscles.
>Weight Training should also be practiced every other day. Alternate your days with aerobic exercise. You can go to a gym or use a machine at home.
-Squeezes lymph through your body.
-Revitalizes the discs in your spine. Backbends, in particular, squeeze the discs like a sponge, so that when you release the stretch, the discs soak up water and fill up to their original size.
-Yoga is spectacular exercise in that it stretches every part of your body and is renowned for its ability to relieve stress and depression. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Next: Chapter 17. It's All About Energy
EXERCISE: MOVE OR DIE
No one likes to hear this, but it's true. If you don't move, you die. Exercise fundamentally changes every system and function in your body.
Circulation
First and foremost, exercise is about circulation—and not just blood circulation, but every circulation system in the body.
Blood
Exercise definitely improves the flow of blood. Think what this means for a moment. Even if you eat healthy foods and partake of the most powerful supplements in the world, if that nutrition can't easily reach some part[1] of your body because circulation is restricted, then that part will suffer, waste away, and become diseased. If the blockage is total, that part will die. Blood also brings oxygen to and removes carbon dioxide waste from every cell and organ in your body. Again, if circulation is restricted, the cell or organ slowly suffocates in its own waste. And finally, blood carries immune cells, and pH balancers into every part of your body.
[1 This could be an organ, a group of cells within an organ, or even one single cell.]
(Lessons from the Miracle Doctors - 136 - Exercise: Move or Die)
Lymph
Back in Chapter 3, we talked about how your lymph is your body's sewer system, removing dead cells, waste, toxic matter, heavy metals, bacteria, etc. from body tissue. Unfortunately, the lymph system has no pump of its own. To a large degree, your body depends on muscle movement to press waste through the lymph system. If you don't move, your lymph is stagnant; you end up poisoning yourself; you die. (Keep in mind that this statement is both absolute and relative. In other words, it's definite that stagnant lymph will ultimately destroy your health, but the process
may take a number of years in some people.)
Heart
The heart is a muscle and grows stronger with exercise.
Blood Pressure
Exercise lowers blood pressure
Colon
Exercise is a key factor in promoting peristalsis and relieving constipation.
Bones
Exercise increases bone density.
Cancer
As the New England Journal of Medicine reported in their May 1, 1997 issue, women who exercise regularly reduce their risk of breast cancer by 72%.
Strength
Strength is not just for showing off in the weight room. It is essential as we get older. People who exercise regularly are far less likely to fall and break bones. Not only because the exercise has
made them stronger, but also because the exercise gave them better balance and because the larger muscle mass cushions the bones better and protects them.
Body Fat
There's nothing more fundamental to losing body fat than exercise. Not, as many people think, because the exercise burns the fat off, but rather, because muscle burns fat even while you sleep.
The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. Sixty to 70% of the energy your muscles burn (even while sleeping) is fat. Every pound of muscle that you have burns fat calories 24 hours
a day. Think about that. If you add four pounds of muscle to your body, every day you automatically burn an extra 200 calories or so, free of charge (plus another 200 calories from your exercise).
Energy
The Chinese call it Chi; the yogis of India call it Prana; here in the States, people call it Life Force. Whatever you call it, it can be seen, measured, photographed, felt, and manipulated. According
to Chinese medicine, restriction in its flow is the ultimate cause of all disease. Exercise stimulates and helps move this "energy" through blocked areas of the body.
Biochemical Changes
Exercise produces "happy" biochemicals called endorphins. Sometimes called "the runner's high," these endorphins drive away stress and depression and stimulate the immune system.
In addition, exercise increases levels of human growth hormone (the youth hormone) in the body. Aerobic exercise can increase HGH levels by as much as 200%. Weight training can increase
HGH levels an astounding 400%.
Strength Benefits
Everyone thinks of strength training as a young person's activity, but in fact, the older you are, the more benefits it provides.
>As reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, two 45-minute weight (strength) training sessions a week can improve bone density, muscle mass, strength, balance, and physical activity in older women (ages 50-70).
>After one year of strength training, women emerged physiologically younger by 15-20 years than when they began. Other studies have demonstrated the same results for men who weight train.
>People in their 70s and 80s can experience strength gains of as much as 180% in a matter of just a few weeks.
General Recommendations
Actually, you need to cross-train for maximum benefit. You need to do aerobic exercise, weight training, and stretching.
>Aerobic exercise should be practiced every other day. By definition, aerobic exercise:
-Is continuous—non-stop.
-Lasts at least 12 minutes—preferably 20 minutes or more. The key is to exercise longer, not harder.
>Has a comfortable pace—not so fast that you can't talk during it if you want.
-Involves your leg muscles.
>Weight Training should also be practiced every other day. Alternate your days with aerobic exercise. You can go to a gym or use a machine at home.
> Stretching should be done every day. It's invaluable as part of your aerobic and weight training sessions to prevent injuries. It's also great exercise on its own.
-Lubricates your joints.-Squeezes lymph through your body.
-Revitalizes the discs in your spine. Backbends, in particular, squeeze the discs like a sponge, so that when you release the stretch, the discs soak up water and fill up to their original size.
-Yoga is spectacular exercise in that it stretches every part of your body and is renowned for its ability to relieve stress and depression. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Next: Chapter 17. It's All About Energy
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