“There is no medication or nutritional supplement that even comes close to having all of the effects exercise does. It’s truly the best medicine we know of.”
– David C. Nieman, PhD, author of The Exercise-Health Connection: How to Reduce Your Risk of Disease and Other Illnesses by Making Exercise Your Medicine
Fuel For Healing
If there’s one practice that has kept me on the healing path, it’s exercise. Since I began to address my multiple autoimmune conditions through lifestyle changes a few years ago, exercise has become my quality-of-life-preserver. When I first adopted a regular exercise habit, I thought I would improve strength and endurance, and perhaps tighten up those upper arms (my children once derided them as “bingo wings”).
Exercise has definitely had an impact on my physical health – I’m stronger and more flexible than I have been in years. I feel abler and more energetic in everything I do – carrying groceries up stairs, walking briskly uphill, gardening for hours. Everything I do that involves movement is now a little easier.
Bonus: Exercise Improves Energy, Sleep & Moods
It only took a few months of regular exercise for me to notice other benefits. My daily energy levels increased and my sleep improved. But the real clincher for me is the impact of exercise on my mood. Regular exercise helps me build resilience both physically and mentally. I feel more optimistic, positive and easy-going when I’m exercising regularly. I believe regular exercise helps maintain the emotional strength I need to weather the ups and downs of autoimmune healing.
Exercising Outdoors With Friends is Key
I love getting my exercise done first thing in the morning – in fact, my 6am “boot camp” is called “Fit First”. I usually attend Fit First with about 20 other 50-somethings two days a week to focus on weight training. Our instructor leads us through a dynamic warm up, a variety of challenging free-weight exercises, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Our instructor also integrates balance challenges into our workout, and my balance has improved enormously.
I exercise almost entirely outdoors, and frequently with friends. I’m fortunate to live in a climate where we can be outdoors year-round. Being out with birds singing and the day brightening is much more enjoyable than I ever expected. Laughing and catching up with friends as we groan over another round of pushups or sit-ups actually makes it fun.
Strength, flexibility, and a positive outlook would probably be enough for people who aren’t dealing with chronic illness, but I also exercise to optimize my autoimmune healing.
“There’s an overwhelming amount of evidence confirming that exercise is a key player in disease reduction, optimal mental, emotional and physical health, and longevity. After reviewing 40 papers published between 2006 and 2010, researchers found that exercise reduces the risk of about two dozen health conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, dementia and depression.”
– Joseph Mercola, DO, author & health educator
Here are a few more good reasons to get moving. Studies show that exercise:
Reduces Risk of Dying
Exercise reduces the risk of death from all causes.1http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1402378/
Helps Your Mood & Sleep
Exercise reduces your risk of depression and may help you sleep better. Research has shown that doing aerobic or a mix of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities 3 to 5 times a week can give you these mental health benefits.2http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1402378/
Can Be Fast and Effective
20 minutes of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is so efficient that it offers the same benefits as about two hours of standard aerobic exercise.3A practical model of low-volume high-intensity interval training induces mitochondrial biogenesis in human skeletal muscle: potential mechanisms. Little, J.P., et al.; in The Journal of Physiology, 2010; http://jp.physoc.org/content/588/6/1011
Improves Quality of Life
For people with mild to moderate MS, exercise may improve mobility, fatigue, and health-related quality of life issues.4http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23669008
Reduces Chronic Inflammation
Aerobic and resistance exercise have been shown to reduce chronic inflammation, which is linked to many diseases including autoimmune disease, heart disease and cancer.5http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23494259
OK – I’ve been sitting too long – and you know they say “sitting is the new smoking!” It’s time to get up and move around. I hope you’ll join me!
Take good care!
p.s. If you want my personal help uncovering your personal root causes with modern lab testing and a custom treatment plan overseen by an experienced naturopathic doctor (ND), consider my Functional Medicine Autoimmune Reversal Program. If you live in the U.S. (except N.Y. — sorry, crazy state laws) you are welcome to book a free 15 minute discovery call with me. If you’re ready, willing, and able to invest in yourself and take control of your health outcomes, I’d love to talk with you.
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