Here's a short and sweet issue of
Success For Life, but one that
I know will inspire you to either take action, or continue to take action toward
living
Fit
Over 40. (A special thank you to Dr. Ann Gowans for providing
most of the content for this article.)
The beautiful spring weather is here, and summer will be upon us before we know
it. Now is the time to remember that it's never too late to start an exercise
program.
The latest news is that well into our 90s, our body systems can be
stimulated to respond to regular exercise.
"From the top of our heads to the bottom of our toes, physical activity is
the stimulus that gets almost all our organs working at their best," Tufts
exercise expert Miriam Nelson says. She and her colleagues give 10 ways that inactivity
can take a toll on our bodies because when we are inactive, our ability to transfer
oxygen from the bloodstream to cells is diminished. When we can't get as much
oxygen out of our blood, we can't walk up a flight of stairs as easily, and
all our other systems are also affected by this loss. Here is the list:
Diabetes. Insulin sensitivity appears to deteriorate when we are
inactive, but it responds positively when we get back to regular training. The most
common type of diabetes, type 2, actually occurs when the body becomes insensitive,
or resistant, to insulin in the blood. As the insulin stops working, the blood sugar
level rises, and diabetes sets in. Regular exercise can actually reverse the damage
because it increases insulin sensitivity and makes the cells better at taking in
glucose and processing it. If you love TV, remember that every two hours a day of
inactivity is linked to a 14 percent increase in the risk of diabetes, as opposed
to one hour of brisk walking, which is linked to a 34 percent lower risk. This makes
diabetes most often a "sedentary disease." (Editor's Note: I have
personally seen type 2 diabetes completely eliminated within
weeks
on the proper nutrition and exercise plan without the use of drugs dozens of times
in my career. As of the year 2000,
one out of every four children born in the United
States will develop diabetes in his or her lifetime unless we change our lifestyle
habits. Economic forecaster Edwin Forrest says, "At the rate diabetes
alone is increasing, our current health care system will be incapable of handling
the epidemic past the year 2014." Remember - we're talking about
type 2 diabetes, which is a
reversible lifestyle disease.)
Cancer. A Harvard study says, "The evidence is fairly clear
now that men and women who are physically active have a
30-40 percent lower
risk of colon cancer compared to individuals who are not active."
This seems to be true because activity stimulates a more active colon. The overweight
also have a higher incidence of this disease. Increased activity can help with weight
control. Also, regular exercise also appears to
lower the risk of breast cancer
by about 20 percent for post-menopausal women. (Editor's Note:
The connection to cancer and the lack of physical exercise is becoming more and
more clear as research into this complex killer progresses. However, exercise alone
is not sufficient, as seen in people like Lance Armstrong, one of the most fit individuals
alive today. You must combat free radical damage with sufficient anti-oxidant intake
from both supplemental and nutritional sources. I do not sell supplements as you
know, but I highly recommend fish oil, Krill oil, and CoQ-10 in addition to the
nutrition protocols covered in
Fit Over 40 to stay healthy.)
The brain. "People who are more physically active are at
lower risk for cognitive decline and dementia," says the director of the Division
of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry at Johns Hopkins. In a study of more
than 3,000 older men and women, those who engaged in four activities, such as walking,
household chores, gardening and jogging, during the previous two weeks were half
as likely to be diagnosed with dementia five years later as those who took part
in no more than one activity. Alzheimer's is a separate disease, however,
and those who carry the gene that might cause the disease tend to show symptoms
in their 70s rather than in their 80s, when most dementias start to appear. (Editor's
Note: This is a personal comment about my mom. She turns 80 in one month, and she
looks 60...and acts 30! At the age of 75, she began weight training and supplementing
her diet with the aforementioned supplements, along with Gingko Biloba, Taurine,
nAL-Carnitine, and a few other brain-helpers. She was displaying serious signs of
onset dementia, repeating herself up to 10 times in a few minutes. She was inactive,
had high blood pressure, and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. She now walks 2-4
miles per day, maintains a moderate nutrition plan along with the daily supplements,
and weight trains 2-3 days per week. Her blood pressure is normal without meds,
her diabetes is eliminated (again, without meds), and she no longer repeats herself
at all. She's a wonderful testimony to what the
Fit Over 40 lifestyle
can do for anyone at any age.)
The heart. About 1.2 million Americans have heart attacks each
year, and no one is surprised that couch potatoes have a higher risk of this happening.
Exercise boosts good cholesterol and makes the lining of blood vessels more flexible.
Regular exercise protects the heart through blood pressure reduction, insulin sensitivity,
better oxygen supply and more flexible arteries, among other good things. Exercise
training also has a wonderful effect on those who already have heart disease if
they are given a regimen to suit their needs and are closely monitored. (Editor's
Note: "Good cholesterol" will soon be seen as a myth in my opinion,
but the rest of these comments are right on the money. Exercise the
Fit Over 40 way can
promote
ongoing vasodilation , or the forced opening and widening of arteries.
This increases blood flow and decreases the likelihood of strokes and heart attacks
by 50-75% according to most studies.)