Thursday, July 10, 2014

The Physical and Psychological Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

7/10/14 252lbs, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11
Will Ride Later

The benefits of Aerobic Exercise are so well documented that I will not attempt to list the studies and most of the physiology here. At my website markstone.org, I have listed links to studies and documentation in regards to Mitochondria (there's a link to it at the top of the page here), and I may put together a similar page of documentation for the Aerobic Benefit shortly. Just know that there are hundreds of longevity and health studies completed through the past several decades that support the following statements. Additionally, thousands of personal testimonies and documentation attest to the reality of the Aerobic Benefit. The physiological changes that take place in the human body when subjected to even a relatively small amount of aerobic work are staggering. And the changes are systemic, too!

First, as we discussed in the last blog, you have time to exercise aerobically. Even if you think you don't, you do. Steal 30 minutes from TV, or 30 minutes from Facebook/Twitter time, or get up a half-hour earlier (or go to sleep a half-hour later), or commute to work on your bike instead of in your car,  or use your bike to make that trip to Walgreens or to the Library. The time is available. The dedication to enter into a program and make it a lifestyle, or at least a habit, is what is in question. I do not know of anyone who cannot find the time, and folks I know a lot of people.

Aerobic exercise is defined as any light to moderate activity that maintains a heart rate of around 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. Good examples are brisk walking, jogging or running, bicycling, rowing, and swimming (not just bouncing around in the water; I mean laps). When your activity keeps your heart rate in its "target zone" (the 60% to 70% of max mentioned above) then you've had a day. Do an average of 4 days or more per week of this, and you will eventually have a changed life. Period. And you will have changed your life without supplements and drugs.

If you read all the aerobic websites and books, you will discover a lot of difference of opinion in how
many times per week, how long you should exercise, and what the correct heart-rate "zone" is. Covert Bailey (one of my exercise heroes) claims only 12 minutes per day is enough. Others say 30. That's not the point. The point is: Get out there on your bike or in your walking/running shoes and start. Do 20 minutes. Do 30. But do something.

Personal Observation: I am 61 years old at the time of this writing. Who knows what's going to happen to me in the future – I may keel over dead from something or other any minute, just like any of you could. But at 61, I know of very few people that are my age that don't have to take prescriptions, or can't get in and out of chairs, or have a chronic disease of some type, or have had a bypass, or don't have to shoot up insulin, or are not tethered permanently to their doctor. I'm not perfect by any means, and have had times of being overweight and immobile, but I don't see a lot of people that are as healthy as I. Usually, the only difference is the exercise lifestyle. I have bicycled since 1972 or so – a lifetime of aerobic activity – and life, for me, bears more promise, less pills, less doctors, and more mobility. I'm going through my 60s able to do things. And I feel really, really good.

Here's what Aerobic Exercise does:

1. Better Cardio Function. Aerobic Exercise improves, cleans and maintains the entire circulatory system. Your heart grows in size and strength, able to pump more blood with each stroke. Because of this, resting heart rate lowers substantially. New blood vessels are constantly forming to carry blood to the muscles and extremities. The interior of blood vessels is "scraped" clean (removing blockages) by the increased flow and activity. Walls become supple. Because of the increase in mitochondria in the muscles, fatty acids are stripped from the blood so red blood cells no longer clump together, which
increases the blood's ability to carry nutrients because of the increased surface area of the blood cells. Also, the thinner (non-clumping) blood can reach extremities easier, so healing takes place faster.

2. Fat Loss. When muscles are working during aerobic activity, their need for fuel (obviously) increases. With this increased need comes an increase in the quality and numbers of mitochondria in the muscle cells. Mitochondria (as we've discussed before in these blogs) are the energy source for all muscular activity. When mitochondria are increased through exercise, they use an increased amount of fatty acids and glucose to create ATP, which is the fuel used by muscles. Here's the bonus: When you are at rest (for example, sleeping), the increased amount of mitochondria is still present. They are still actively converting fatty acids to ATP. Therefore, even at rest, the exercised body burns fat all the time, not just during the actual exercise.

3. Endorphins. Aerobic exercise releases endorphins in the brain, creating a sense of well-being and happiness that in my experience lasts all day. Aerobic exercise is a wonderful treatment for depression.

4. Stronger Immune System. Studies show that people who exercise aerobically have less incidences of viral diseases like the common cold, or the flu. Additionally, in the exercised body these diseases, when they do occur, are less severe and do not last as long. My own personal experience supports this entirely – I rarely get colds (I'm still waiting for my first 2014 cold, and it's July!) and when I do get them they are usually mild and gone within 24 hours.

5. Chronic Disease Reduction. This, to me, is exciting. Studies show that Aerobic Exercise substantially decreases the incidence of chronic disease of all types. Heart disease? Read point 1 above. Blood pressure is lowered, cholesterol is kept in check, the heart is a mammoth blood-pumping machine. Additionally, with endorphins introduced into the equation, stress levels are lowered. Blood vessels have supple, clean walls with no blockages. Diabetes? The tie between mitochondria production and type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) is undeniable and is extremely well established in science. The reason we don't hear about it is because the drug companies cannot make money off of prescription sales if we alter diets and/or increase aerobic activity and heal ourselves. See my Mitochondria T2DM blog for details. Cancer? It is difficult to find the reason, primarily because no one knows the root cause for cancer itself, but study after study confirms lower incidences of cancer in people that have a lifestyle of aerobic exercise.

Do people have heart attacks, die of cancer, and contract T2DM when they are aerobic exercisers? Of course. Everyone can think of examples of people they have known or heard of that are exceptions. Jim Fixx, runner extraordinaire, died from a heart attack. Lance Armstrong, before he won the 7 Tours de France, had serious testicular cancer. (A point can be made that these guys exercised too much, but I don't want to go down that road right now.) But the point here is that these chronic diseases are severely reduced in populations that exercise aerobically, and when you exercise aerobically you make your chances of contracting much, much smaller.

6. Oxygen Consumption. When you exercise, you breathe. The body's need for oxygen increases as the muscles use ATP to produce movement and energy, and by exercising the system of oxygen delivery we increase its efficiency. Stated simply: If you are bicycling and working your lungs on a daily basis, you discover that you are able to get to the top of the stairs without huffing and puffing. You can actually go for walks and breathe through your nose comfortably. I remember watching Dikembe Mutumbo, when he played for the Denver Nuggets of the NBA. He ran full speed up and down the basketball court but always with his mouth closed. His lungs were so developed, he didn't need to gasp for air. We can be the same.

7. Increased Energy. When we are exercising aerobically, we put our body on a new level of fitness. Tasks at work start becoming easier, even though we may be "tired" from our morning run or bike ride. I find that my energy level even when doing mundane tasks at home, like doing dishes, is increased. I don't say "Ugh, I guess I better get up and do the dishes" and then sit there for another ten minutes. I bounce out of the chair and attack the dishes. Instead of walking up stairs, I run. And I don't do it on purpose, it's just what my body wants to do. After a loooooong day, I still can keep up with grandkids.

One year, probably about a decade ago when I was entering my 50s, my wife was a counselor at a weekend Girl Scout camp and I got to go! We did all kinds of camping stuff in addition to all the crafts and Girl Scout learnin'. One afternoon we all went on a hike that ended at the top of a small mountain. We were all going to meet up there and sing songs or something. The first people to arrive at the top of the hill were myself and all the skinny Girl Scouts. A few minutes later more Girl Scouts appeared, then finally after about 10 or 15 minutes the adults, breathing and laboring, made it to the top. They plopped down on benches, panting, trying to recover from the climb. At 50, I was the oldest person there – and yet I was the only adult that was still fresh and felt rested at the end of the climb. Why? A lifestyle of Aerobic Exercise, an investment in my future I was willing to make.

There are many more benefits to a lifestyle of Aerobic Exercise, but I've hit the most important. I could also mention a reduction in Sleep Apnea, and improved sleep patterns, and better appetite (That's right: People that exercise aerobically usually eat less). But we're getting the point here. Lives change with aerobic exercise in so many ways. Following is a cool video about the effects of exercise from Dr. Mike Evans which brings home the point:


Actual picture of me jogging

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