What if I were to tell you that a drug exists that can lower your blood pressure, decrease your body fat, increase your metabolism to a more youthful level, reverse osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease, elevate your mood and reduce inflammation? Would you be interested?
Furthermore, what if this medicine had virtually no harmful side effects and cost very little?
Most people would say, “Get me some of that!”
Another clue is that most of us have tried this drug but stop taking it for some of the following reasons (excuses): I don’t have the time; I can’t see the results; I’m afraid it will hurt me. That’s probably because we’ve either been ill advised as to the dosage and proper use of this medicine.
If you haven’t guessed, that medicine is EXERCISE!!
Unfortunately the term exercise has been misused and abused to mean almost anything from planting tomatoes to navy seal training. Real (productive) exercise is a designed series of elements formulated to drive specific responses -- just like any beneficial drug.
What are those design elements?
1. Intensity -- how hard should I work?
2. Frequency -- how often do I take it?
3. Duration -- for what length of time should I do it?
4. Style -- how do I perform the actual movements in the regimen?
1. Intensity: More and more bona fide research indicates that high intensity exercise produces significant and safe responses. Traditionally high intensity exercise was thought of as being exhaustive and violent. The actual definition of high intensity for productive exercise is that which will deplete the “fight or flight” (type IIb) muscle fibers of glycogen. That depletion occurs either when short bouts of muscle work are taken to a point of fatigue or when steady state aerobic exercise is maintained for a long duration (usually 2+ hours).
2. Frequency: In order for exercise to produce responses (results) it should be performed twice per week. If the intensity (#1) is sufficient enough to cause the body to respond, it will take 2 to 3 days before it is fully capable of working at that intensity again. Any other high intensity exercise will only prove to be counterproductive. This does not eliminate the benefit of leading an active lifestyle (walking, cycling, hiking, golf, tennis, etc.) On the non-formal exercise days.
3. Duration: Because we’re applying “high intensity” levels the exercise sessions will be relatively short in duration. The higher the intensity the shorter time we are capable of sustaining it. A good analogy: if you run as fast as you can, you won’t run very far. High intensity exercise requires, by its nature that it be performed for short intervals and infrequently for full recovery.
4. Style: Slow, controlled movements insure maximum return for exercise time and effort and insure safety. Slow resistance training maintains constant muscle load (work) and gets us to the beneficial threshold state in about 40 to 90 seconds per set. Full body exercise can usually be completed with 6 to 10 exercises.
What can we expect from taking this “prescription” of High Intensity Training (HIT)?
• Increased lean tissue (muscle and bone): This increase in turn raises metabolic rate, strength, muscle mass and a toned physique.
• Decreased body fat: When HIT is applied it instigates hormone and enzyme changes that release free fatty acids (stored body fat) for fuel.
• Increased immune function: We hear about interferons and interleukins that are used in complex chemotherapy formulas. HIT produces some of those same signaling proteins naturally with none of the toxic side effects. Additionally heat shock proteins ( hsp’s) are associated with hit and they serve as powerful “organizers” for the immune system.
• Decreased inflammation: It is not just a placebo effect that arthritics and people with other inflammatory disorders like fibromyalgia “feel better” after they move around. The signaling proteins (myokines) produced by hit have been clinically indicated as powerfully anti-inflammatory.
• Lower blood pressure and heart rate: Repeated studies show that (HIT) reduces peripheral resistance (arteries become more compliant or responsive) and the loss of body water when fat is reduced acts as a diuretic both of which reduce blood pressure.
• Better sleep: Since circulation is enhanced as a result of exercise, the brain gets to rest more significantly during sleep allowing more deep (REM) sleep to occur.
• Increased energy: As a result of releasing fat for continual metabolic fueling the body is provided with ample energy on a consistent, sustained basis (fewer “highs and lows”).
When your doctor tells you to exercise this is what he should be telling you but unfortunately he has not learned this in his medical training.
Real exercise is very good medicine.
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