Benefits of a fitness program

Regular, systematic, vigorous physical activity strengthens all of the major body systems and, along with diet is the foundation stone of good health.

Feel better

The most immediate benefit of physical activity is that you feel better. The mind and other body systems are closely connected. What goes on in your mind affects what goes on in other body systems and vice versa. If you want to feel better, start moving with vigor on a regular and systematic basis.

When it comes to the black dog of clinical depression physical activity has a greater beneficial effect after one year than a pharmaceutical. (Find that hard to believe? Read psychiatrist David Servan-Shrieber's book Healing Without Freud or Prozac or John Abramson's  book, Overdosed America.

Abramson refers to depression as the 'exercise deficiency disease'. He goes on to say that 'short-term treatment with an antidepressant medication relieves symptoms but appears to decrease the likelihood of patients making the positive life changes necessary to prevent symptoms from recurring.' If that's not good enough for you go to the journal, Psychosomatic Medicine 62:633-638,2000 and read the results of the study 'Exercise Treatment for Major Depression'.

The medical industry hasn't yet worked out how to prescribe exercise with any accuracy. If you go to the Aerabyte site you can see how to do it for yourself.

Here are my aerobic activity recommendations for people with any body system dysfunction, particularly depression, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Purchase a copy of the Aerobic Fitness Diary ebook. Read it and then set yourself a target of 700 aerabytes a week. Gradually build up the aerabytes to 1000 a week (a tough assignment) over the next three months.

Keep a record of your aerobic training, including times, and aerabytes.

You'll need to get yourself a heart rate monitor - about $100.

You'll need to exercise before breakfast and after work most days. For you the rules of thumb are

 
Normally I'd suggest 4 times a week is good, 5 better and 6 best, but if
you're depressed, hypertensive or diabetic I think it would be best to adopt a more rigorous training regime, where 6 sessions a week is good 8 is better and 10 is best. Train as often as swimmers do. 20 minutes for some sessions will suffice.

Release endorphins

When you exercise with reasonable vigour for about 30 minutes or more, the release of endorphins (that is, naturally occurring opiates) from the brain brings about a naturally occurring high: - you feel better. You have more energy and vitality.

Stimulate the elimination system

The main players in the body's elimination system are the lungs, perspiratory system, lymphatic and blood systems, liver, alimentary canal and the kidneys.

Cool down an over-stimulated sympathetic nervous system

We live in an age when more and more people have over-stimulated sympathetic nervous systems. The flight and fight response that starts with the mind and then works through the endocrine system produces muscle tension,  constricts blood vessels and generally alters a range of essential body functions.

Overcome insulin resistance

The major cause of adult onset diabetes is insulin resistance in the muscles due to lack of regular, vigorous physical activity. Whilst physical activity will not cure a dysfunctional pancreatic and endocrine system it will go a long way toward enabling diabetics to manage type II diabetes without medication.

See the good, better and best raining recommendations above.

If you're a diabetic monitoring your glucose level after exercise will enable you to get a feel for why exercising often is good for you.

Warm up an under-stimulated parasympathetic nervous system

The gentle exercises, yoga, tai chi and walking have the effect of stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system and causing muscles to relax and blood vessels dilate. Endocrine function is restored to more normal levels. You feel better

Strengthen the immune system

Vigorous physical activity stimulates corticosteroid production and the increase of white blood cells. When the immune system is strong, you are more resistant to colds and flu. You have an enhanced ability to deal with allergic reactions and you're less at risk of cancer.

Lower incidence of high blood pressure

Elevated blood pressure is directly related to motion starvation. For the greater proportion of people training aerobically, with vigour for 40 minutes each day will restore blood pressure to normal.

See the good, better and best training recommendations above.

If you've got high blood pressure, get yourself a blood pressure meter and monitor your blood pressure an hour after exercise. This will enable you to get a feel for why exercising often is good for you.

Increased aerobic efficiency and capacity

You can expect a rapid improvement in aerobic efficiency once you start to train.

You can measure that efficiency by doing the 20m run test. Do it once a month to gauge your improvement in aerobic fitness.

Reduced risk of heart attack

Cardiac dysfunction usually comes at the end of a long chain of dysfunctions (autonomic nervous system, elimination system, liver ...). The status of all these systems is improved by regular, systematic and vigorous physical activity.

Clears the respiratory tract

Ever person with a aerobic regular training program knows that physical activity has a wonderful effect on clearing the respiratory tract. One wonders how it gets 'cleaned up' under normal circumstances without the stimulation of the lungs and warming the body.

Reduced cholesterol level

Whilst cholesterol levels can be lowered by eating less of the saturated fatty foods and garbohydrates, a key ingredient in a cholesterol lowering program is a regular and systematic physical training program.

Stimulates the bowel

Anyone who runs or exercises with vigour knows that the digestive system works better. One has to wonder at where the gas discharged during activity goes when there is no activity!

Fewer headaches

There is an epidemic of headaches in this country. It is the most popular symptom of poor health that people experience. Headaches have many causes - muscle tension, digestive upset ... What we know is that people who are fit and healthy don't get them. If you want to have less headaches, do what fit and healthy people. They train.

Reduction in body fat

It is a tough assignment expecting to stay at your ideal weight without a regular and systematic training program. Once the activity level drops you can be certain that sooner or later you'll start stacking on the weight. We say elsewhere that the cost of the luxury of an eight hour a day sit down job is an hour of physical activity.

Ease musculo-skeletal dysfunction

Bones do what muscles tell them to do. There is an epidemic of musculo-skeletal dysfunction caused principally by motion starvation of the skeletal muscles. Strength, flexibility and postural aligning exercises tone muscles, get bones back into position and increase the ability of the body to do the things that normal fit and healthy people take for granted.

More oxygen to the brain

Physical activity ensures that your brain will get more oxygen. You feel better.

More energy

There is a universal law which says that if you want more energy you need to use more up.

Increased libido

Regular vigorous physical activity has a wonderful effect on improving libido. Train hard and you'll end up as fit as a trout, lean as a greyhound and toey as a Roman sandal.

A lowered libido is a symptom of poor general health. It is dramatic evidence that a number of body systems are not working properly, from the head down. Keep in mind that the cause of the dysfunction is not located at the site where the dysfunction is manifest. Fix it up by becoming fitter and healthier.

Sleep better

When you are vigorously physically active you need less sleep and you sleep better.

Discipline

If you can learn the discipline of regularly and systematically exercising your body, it stands you in good stead for disciplining yourself to do other things in your life.

Distraction

You experience an elevated mood state when you interrupt your normal daily routine with physical activity. It's like having your own little escape from reality.

Reduce stress and depression. look after your Self

Being involved in regular physical activity is the most potent symbol of your ability to give back to yourself.

Break down the emotional and physical vicious cycle

Whereas it is widely recognised that emotional states affect the body (psychosomatic), it is also the case that physiological states affect emotions (somatopsychic). This is why one of the best things you can do when you're depressed and miserable is to exercise. The main benefit of physical activity is that you feel better.

Eat less

Strange as it may sound, when you exercise regularly, systematically and vigorously you are less inclined to overeat and/or search out those extra high fat/carbohydrate snacks.

Social

One of the great benefits of physical activity is being with other people. People often feel better when they are doing things in the company of other people. The secret of many a successful fitness program is having the mutual support of a buddy.

Introspection

Exercising on your own provides an opportunity for introspection. As Thoreau said about his walks in the forest, 'I never found the companion that was as companionable as solitude.'