How Physical Activity Can Work as an Anti-Aging Agent
Oh no! It has been a long, stressful week (and it's only Wednesday!) and you finally have a chance to relax and get ready for a night out with friends, or a date night with your significant other. When it hits. You feel sore all over, weak, and perhaps even shaky. You think it's probably just from lack of dinner and working out, and that you need to get some food in you ASAP. But then you realize, "Wait, I haven￢ﾀﾙt exercised in days (or weeks, or gasp, months), how could I be so sore and lethargic?
Your next train of thought is to assume it's your age, scowl for a moment that you're not getting any younger, and continue to get ready. It doesn't even cross your might that your lack of physical activity could have anything to do with the symptoms you are feeling.
Well, you're wrong.
Studies have shown that inactivity leads to several symptoms of old age, which can easily be avoided or reduced by simply getting more active. When your body doesn't get the physical activity it craves, it begins to change as a result. As we have discussed in previous blog posts, there are a multitude of effects that inactivity has on your health and well-being. But after recently checking out a book written by The Movement creator Dr. Greg Soltanoff's grandfather, Dr. Jack Soltanoff, entitled Natural Healing: The Total Health and Nutritional Program, we thought we would focus on something we don't often talk about￢ﾀﾔthe symptoms of old age that occur when we are inactive.
Dr. Jack's book discusses what happens to the body as we grow older, and reveals how physical activity helps you to stay young. So, what exactly happens when we are inactive? Well, according to Dr. Jack, symptoms include:
Shaking hands
Tottering gait
Stiff joints
Noticeable loss of muscle mass, tone, and strength
Accumulations of fat that goes on easy and is hard to shed
Reduction of motor ability, balance, flexibility, and reflexes
Decrease in work capacity
Increase in various injuries
Increase in cholesterol and blood pressure levels
Slower metabolism
Decrease in resilience of arteries
Brittle bones
Lack of coordination in nine body systems (nervous system as an example)
Some list, huh? Well, it turns out that all of these symptoms can be reduced simply by increasing your day to day physical activity!
Physical activity helps you stay young.
Dr. Jack cannot stress enough how important exercise is for the body. Everything in your body￢ﾀﾔyour heart, lungs, veins, etc.￢ﾀﾔimproves once you get moving. But just be careful not to overexercise, Dr. Jack explains, as this is dangerous to your body as well. However, once you start bringing exercise back into your life, you will be able to see your symptoms of old age, such as high blood pressure or stiff joints, start to reverse, and you can look forward to a more youthful and happy you!
What can you do to stay youthful?
GET MOVING! The average adult should be getting 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, but the majority of us are not reaching that capacity. Start simple and slowly work your way up to more strenuous and longer workouts. If you've been out of the exercise circuit for longer than you'd like to admit, begin by simply stretching for a few minutes every hour each day, and you will begin to notice a dramatic change in your body. Once you've become used to adding this bit of movement into your day, add in daily walks, and work up to more moderate to strenuous activity as you go. Every little bit helps!
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If you think you have what it takes to start changing your body, let us know! The Movement may be able to help you achieve the healthy changes you are after.
Sources:
Soltanoff, Jack. (1988). Natural Healing: The Total Health and Nutritional Program. Warner Books: New York, NY.
http://blog.themovementonline.net/blog/bid/336055/Get-Physical-How-Activity-Makes-You-Youthful
