Exercise is not optional -- it is absolutely essential. The point of exercise is not only about being "fit," but also about empowering your body to overcome any health challenges you may be facing.
FACT: Your body requires movement and resistance to remain functional.
The human body was made to be active. The body is naturally equipped to perform a considerable amount of physical work, and we are meant to be mobile beings. However, the convenience of many modern luxuries, such as cars and other technologies, seems to interfere with our active lifestyles. When we replace outdoor activities with being inside, walking around with sitting in a chair, or doing a variety of challenging physical work with doing knowledge work, we are setting our body up for problems.
Science has known for quite some time that physical activity combined with the addition of lean muscle to the body is beneficial to various areas of your health.
From a cellular point of view, forcing your cells to make more mitochondria to supply energy can help postpone and even reverse the effects of aging. Increasing the production of mitochondria will also help supply your entire body with more energy at a baseline level.
From an aerobic point of view, flooding your body with oxygen and forcing the body to create more capillaries has huge benefits for not only your aerobic health but for your overall wellbeing, including brain health and emotional health.
From a hormonal point of view, muscle mass is known to promote healthful hormones, like testosterone. Extra fat also causes the body to produce excess hormones, like estrogen, worsening your overall metabolic health.
Exercise is an incredibly important component of preventative health. It can be an especially crucial piece when trying to recover from conditions like pre-diabetes or heart problems. Exercise can also play a vital role in counteracting the effects of menopause, anxiety and depression.
Of course, discussing exercise without addressing weight loss would be a disservice to the many people struggling with this issue. While most experts will tell you that diet is the number one most important element in weight loss, there is a whole other chapter on how to lose weight faster than mainstream medicine has ever dreamed possible (read more about this here).
When it comes to slow and permanent weight loss -- the kind that creates genuine body transformations -- I've never heard of a single success story that didn't involve exercise as an integral, crucial element.
Exercise does not have to be a chore. Integrating regular exercise into your daily routine may seem like a daunting task; however, there are many small ways you can increase your daily activity level (read more about this here.) Over time, these small steps will create an enormous impact on your overall health and wellbeing.
At the end of the day, exercise is about commitment. Staying committed to your healthy habits is the key factor in seeing a true transformation.
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*This article includes excerpts from "Made Whole: Regaining the Health Your Body Was Born to Enjoy by Working With the Missing Pieces of Wellness" written by chiropractic physician, Dr. Douglas B. Cook, D.C. To purchase this book, visit the Nutrition Store inside the Oklahoma Health and Wellness Center.
**The information in this post is based on the opinion of the authors and is intended for general consumer understanding. Read our full disclaimer here.