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Get Your Body Moving – It Does More Than You Think!

By Sandy Schwartz
January 28, 2010

We all know that exercise is good for you and that we should be doing it regularly. Your doctors, the media, even your spouse tells you that. But do you know why? What’s really happening inside your body that makes exercise so beneficial? When you move, muscles ignite, your body wakes up, blood flow increases, all of your insides are rubbing together, or being “massaged”, so that your whole body, including muscles, bones, nerves, vessels, and organs are functioning optimally. Here are a few benefits – some that may even be new to you.

Exercise decreases your risk of heart attack and stroke. One way this is done is by lowering your blood pressure. Throughout your body you have many capillary beds. When you’re at rest, the capillary beds are closed and less oxygen and nutrients are allowed in. With the capillaries closed, your blood pressure is raised because your blood has less room to flow. But when your body is moving, these capillary beds open, letting blood flow, bringing oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. This lowers your blood pressure since there is more room for the blood to flow.

Exercise is also beneficial to heart health by altering lipid metabolism. Regular exercise increases HDL (high-density lipoprotein – a good cholesterol), while decreasing triglycerides. That prevents plaque from building up and blocking your blood vessels, lowering your overall cholesterol.

Exercise provides for better elimination of body wastes. During exercise your heart rate increases and gets the blood flowing faster. The faster the blood flows the faster your body rids itself of waste like carbon dioxide and other body toxins. By also “massaging” your intestines, you are more likely to have regular elimination.

Exercising builds strength. Not only to muscles, but to your bones and organs as well. Your heart, also a muscle, is strengthened with exercise. As well as building muscle strength, exercise improves flexibility, improves posture, enhances coordination and balance, increases range of motion, and improves endurance. Exercise, particularly weight-bearing exercises like walking, running, jogging, and dancing, builds strong bones. Strengthening the muscles and bones eases and possibly eliminates back problems and pain. Also speed of muscle contraction and reaction time can be increased. Exercise can help older adults become stronger thereby preventing falls. Bringing more oxygen into the lungs with exercise makes breathing easier by strengthening the lungs.

Exercise increases your metabolism. Movement builds muscle tissue which gives you potential for using energy from fat cells thereby increasing your metabolism. Muscle mass is metabolically active tissue, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn even when you’re not working out. Increased metabolism can shrink fat cells, increases enzymes which burn fat, gives you more energy, and lessen food cravings. As well as improving overall digestion, exercise can also improves your appetite for healthy foods and increases carbohydrate metabolism.
Exercise is also wonderful in the prevention of disease. You can reduce the risk of many cancers, such as cancers of the breast, uterus, ovaries, cervix, and colon, with exercise. Osteoporosis can also be prevented since exercise builds strength in the bones. Any kind of movement can help in the maintenance or reduction of weight which reduces risk of type II diabetes. Less pain and swelling in arthritic joints has been reported with moderate exercise. Regular exercise has been shown to combat the ongoing damage done to cells, tissues and organs that underlies many chronic conditions. As well as strengthening the immune system, exercise helps fight off the number and severity of colds, flu, and other viruses by increasing the circulation of natural killer cells that fight off viruses and bacteria. Massaging your organs with exercise also keeps them from atrophying and are less likely to have bladder, colon, uterine, or prostate “sagging”.

Exercise makes you feel good. Endorphins are hormones in the brain associated with happy, positive feelings. During exercise, plasma levels of endorphins increase, lifting depression giving you an overall sense of well being. When you move you feel energized, less fatigued, your mind clears, you feel motivated, stress is more manageable, you sleep better, your confidence and self-esteem improve and you feel happier. A recent National Health and Nutrition survey found that physically active people were half as likely to be depressed. Exercise also boosts the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain which is thought to play a key role in keeping your mood calm and your mind sharp with quick thinking.

Exercise makes you look better. By bringing more oxygen and blood to the surface of the skin, exercise promotes healing to clear the complexion, leaving behind a healthful “glow”. Exercise also helps increase the natural production of collagen, the connective tissue that plumps your skin, making you look younger, slowing the process of aging. Looking and feeling good can have a positive effect on your sex life, but exercise can also lead to enhanced arousal for women and less erectile dysfunction issues for men.

Of course the best kind of exercise is regular exercise. Strive to do some kind of movement every day. And don’t let your lack of regular exercise keep you from moving today. So whatever movement you choose, whether it’s walking, aerobic exercise, weight lifting, sports, or more softer movements such as Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or Yoga, choose how you are going to move your body in 2010.
We all know that exercise is good for you and that we should be doing it regularly. Your doctors, the media, even your spouse tells you that. But do you know why? What’s really happening inside your body that makes exercise so beneficial? When you move, muscles ignite, your body wakes up, blood flow increases, all of your insides are rubbing together, or being “massaged”, so that your whole body, including muscles, bones, nerves, vessels, and organs are functioning optimally. Here are a few benefits – some that may even be new to you.

Exercise decreases your risk of heart attack and stroke. One way this is done is by lowering your blood pressure. Throughout your body you have many capillary beds. When you’re at rest, the capillary beds are closed and less oxygen and nutrients are allowed in. With the capillaries closed, your blood pressure is raised because your blood has less room to flow. But when your body is moving, these capillary beds open, letting blood flow, bringing oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. This lowers your blood pressure since there is more room for the blood to flow.

Exercise is also beneficial to heart health by altering lipid metabolism. Regular exercise increases HDL (high-density lipoprotein – a good cholesterol), while decreasing triglycerides. That prevents plaque from building up and blocking your blood vessels, lowering your overall cholesterol.

Exercise provides for better elimination of body wastes. During exercise your heart rate increases and gets the blood flowing faster. The faster the blood flows the faster your body rids itself of waste like carbon dioxide and other body toxins. By also “massaging” your intestines, you are more likely to have regular elimination.

Exercising builds strength. Not only to muscles, but to your bones and organs as well. Your heart, also a muscle, is strengthened with exercise. As well as building muscle strength, exercise improves flexibility, improves posture, enhances coordination and balance, increases range of motion, and improves endurance. Exercise, particularly weight-bearing exercises like walking, running, jogging, and dancing, builds strong bones. Strengthening the muscles and bones eases and possibly eliminates back problems and pain. Also speed of muscle contraction and reaction time can be increased. Exercise can help older adults become stronger thereby preventing falls. Bringing more oxygen into the lungs with exercise makes breathing easier by strengthening the lungs.

Exercise increases your metabolism. Movement builds muscle tissue which gives you potential for using energy from fat cells thereby increasing your metabolism. Muscle mass is metabolically active tissue, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn even when you’re not working out. Increased metabolism can shrink fat cells, increases enzymes which burn fat, gives you more energy, and lessen food cravings. As well as improving overall digestion, exercise can also improves your appetite for healthy foods and increases carbohydrate metabolism.
Exercise is also wonderful in the prevention of disease. You can reduce the risk of many cancers, such as cancers of the breast, uterus, ovaries, cervix, and colon, with exercise. Osteoporosis can also be prevented since exercise builds strength in the bones. Any kind of movement can help in the maintenance or reduction of weight which reduces risk of type II diabetes. Less pain and swelling in arthritic joints has been reported with moderate exercise. Regular exercise has been shown to combat the ongoing damage done to cells, tissues and organs that underlies many chronic conditions. As well as strengthening the immune system, exercise helps fight off the number and severity of colds, flu, and other viruses by increasing the circulation of natural killer cells that fight off viruses and bacteria. Massaging your organs with exercise also keeps them from atrophying and are less likely to have bladder, colon, uterine, or prostate “sagging”.

Exercise makes you feel good. Endorphins are hormones in the brain associated with happy, positive feelings. During exercise, plasma levels of endorphins increase, lifting depression giving you an overall sense of well being. When you move you feel energized, less fatigued, your mind clears, you feel motivated, stress is more manageable, you sleep better, your confidence and self-esteem improve and you feel happier. A recent National Health and Nutrition survey found that physically active people were half as likely to be depressed. Exercise also boosts the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain which is thought to play a key role in keeping your mood calm and your mind sharp with quick thinking.

Exercise makes you look better. By bringing more oxygen and blood to the surface of the skin, exercise promotes healing to clear the complexion, leaving behind a healthful “glow”. Exercise also helps increase the natural production of collagen, the connective tissue that plumps your skin, making you look younger, slowing the process of aging. Looking and feeling good can have a positive effect on your sex life, but exercise can also lead to enhanced arousal for women and less erectile dysfunction issues for men.

Of course the best kind of exercise is regular exercise. Strive to do some kind of movement every day. And don’t let your lack of regular exercise keep you from moving today. So whatever movement you choose, whether it’s walking, aerobic exercise, weight lifting, sports, or more softer movements such as Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or Yoga, choose how you are going to move your body in 2010.

Sandy Schwartz is the owner of Renewed Health Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine. You may contact her at (512) 341-9900 or www.RenewedHealthAc.com.