...yeah, sorry - figured I'd have a bit of fun with this one...
"...so what "E" are you talking about??"
...haha, how about you guess...
"...ecstasy??"
...dude, seriously - this is me talking here...
"...oops, sorry...how about eggs??"
...hmm, nope...
"...existentialism??"
...did you buy a dictionary for that one?? Seriously...
"...can I buy a vowel?? Phone a friend, Eddie??"
...I'll make it easy for you - I'm talking about exercise...
"...ahh, you're building to something here, aren't you??"
...shh, I am - but let's stick to today's topic: why is exercise so important??
"...it has to be - you bang on about it enough..."
...okay, that's enough from you...but yes, we're told regularly and repeatedly that exercise is important and it is something that we should all be doing - but why??
...let's start with the physical effects:
...obviously, above is a demonstration of the aesthetic aspect of exercise - but along with the more pleasing appearance, regular (the schematics of exercise will be discussed next blog) exercise will help in the maintenance of body weight - the increase in exercise results in an increase in the amount of kilojoules (or calories if you're working in the American system) burnt in a day.
Build up your exercise over a reasonable period, and your base metabolic rate (the amount of energy your body burns in a day) will increase - making it easier to control your weight over time...the increase in physical strength and aerobic endurance also make completing daily activities less of a chore, leaving you with more energy to undertake other hobbies...
Regular weight-bearing exercise (meaning, not in water) also stimulates the body to increase bone formation, resulting in an increase in bone density - which is extremely important for the elder section of the community...
...next come the physiological benefits:
...heart disease and high blood pressure are two of the biggest causes of morbidity and mortality in society, not to mention, two of the biggest dollar takers in money spent of the health of our society. Exercise has some fantastic effects on both - regular exercise increases the muscularity of our blood vessels (it's not just skeletal muscle that benefits from exercise), resulting in a decrease in our resting blood pressure. A regular exercise routine will also result in stimulating the body's creation of high density lipoproteins (often referred to as HDL), or "good cholesterol"...
...the loss of excess adipose (or fat) tissue that results from exercise also has been shown to aid in the prevention of type II diabetes, also referred to as "mature onset" diabetes...starting to see how much exercise could be benefiting the health of society??
...which bring me to the next aspect of physiological benefits:
(...apologies to my nephew, but I love that pic...hey, I could have used this one instead...)
...okay, now that I have thoroughly sidetracked myself - how many of us have problems with sleeping?? What if I told you that regular exercise reduces the amount of cortisol (our stress hormone, and one that also wakes us up first thing in the morning) and increases the amount of serotonin (the magical hormone that keeps us asleep at night) produced by the body?? I think a better night's sleep should be motivation enough for some of you to start exercising...
...okay, think all the benefits of exercise are physical or physiological?? We're only just starting - what about the effects of exercise on this guy??
...exercise has some amazing effects on the function of the brain, to the extent that exercise is now the most common suggested intervention for people with depression and anxiety...regular exercise increases the flood of blood and oxygen to the brain, which increases the body's capacity to produce nerve cells and promotes neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to adapt). The release of dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine and serotonin also markedly improve the body's ability to learn new things, and the endorphin release (or "runner's high") post-exercise is amazing for improving one's general mood and reducing depression...
...and ever considered this?? Exercise has incredible benefits for sexual health (notice I didn't include a pic for this one?? You don't want to know what Google came up with when I typed that one in) - the increase in peripheral blood flow has been shown to enhance the arousal of women and decrease erectile dysfunction in men...
...so now you know why exercise is so important - stay tuned for next time when I run through the basics of starting an exercise program. As always, if you want to know more - email me at the.chiro@mail.com, find me on Twitter: @caolanthechiro and on Facebook here.
