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CHAPTER ONE
MOVEMENT AS MEDICINE
"Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it."
--Plato
I think it's generally understood that exercise is crucial for maintaining good health. But it's worth pointing out some of the "extra" physiological benefits of staying active that move beyond muscle strength and joint and tendon health. Let's have a look.
Right now, if you were to get up out of your seat and walk into the next room and back, a whole host of processes would be activated throughout your body that would bring you countless health benefits. With just a few steps, you would initiate subtle changes in your breathing, your heart rate, your adrenal system, and your brain, to name a few--on top of the changes and benefits you'd be getting by activating your musculoskeletal system. You'd also be likely to lower your stress level and prompt your body to release hormones that will strengthen your immune system and boost your overall health and sense of well-being.
Being physically active on a regular basis:
* Promotes heart health
* Sharpens (and protects) your brain
* Reduces stress
* Is key to losing weight
* Will improve your sex life
* Protects against--and reverses the damage of--diabetes
MOVING FOR A HEALTHIER HEART
Let's start with the benefits to the heart.
The heart is a muscle. And, like all muscles, it thrives when it is really put to work regularly. Few people know it, but inactivity is actually one of the leading causes of coronary artery disease, the name for any heart- related problem--ranging from angina and arrhythmia to fatal heart attacks-- which is caused by problems with the arteries leading from the heart. Early in life, the risks of inactivity begin to build steadily. (For instance, a recent report warns that children need at least 90 minutes a day of physical activity if they want to avoid being in the high-risk group for heart disease when they become adults.)
People who exercise regularly and at high intensity have the lowest risk of developing heart disease. Indeed, a person who maintains an active lifestyle has a 45 percent lower risk of developing heart disease than a sedentary person.
When we are exerting ourselves physically, we pump oxygen into our hearts, which expands the blood vessels and arteries, allowing blood to flow efficiently and freely through them. Exercise also improves cholesterol and lipid levels, further protecting us from heart disease. Regular exercise also stimulates the immune system to decrease proteins that help cause plaque buildup in the arteries and to increase the proteins that prevent it.
When people come into the Life Enhancement Program at Canyon Ranch, they often have a ton of questions about heart health. We ask all Canyon Ranch guests to check in with a nurse to assess their readiness for exercise. Often they are encouraged to see one of our physicians for a cardiac stress test to determine their optimum level of exertion.
SHOULD YOU HAVE A STRESS TEST?
One of the most common questions I'm asked by guests at Canyon Ranch is whether or not they need to take a stress test before embarking on any kind of fitness or exercise program. I tell them that, if they're asking whether they should have one, they ought to--it can only provide them with excellent information.
As a general policy, I encourage all men over 40 and all women over 50 to have a stress test before they get started on a program of activities.
If you've had an initial stress test and are wondering whether to have one on a regular basis, I recommend that you talk to your doctor.
The fitness staff and I are all experts at teaching pacing for optimum benefit and enjoyment. Here's an example:
One morning I took a group of new guests out for a walk. My group consisted of three men and three women, with an age range between 35 and 70. I told them that we were going to walk a 4-mile loop that would incorporate some hills, most of which were gentle slopes, but a couple of which were pretty steep.
I like to talk to my guests as I'm walking, not only to be efficient with our time, but also to show them that being able to walk and talk is a good thing. When you can carry on a comfortable conversation while walking for any significant duration, it means that you're not overexerting yourself. (Exercising more rigorously is also beneficial, but when I'm working with a group that's just beginning to look at walking in a new way, I always advocate for moderation at first.)
Before the walk, we discussed pacing and the overall health benefits of walking. Again, as we struck off, I reminded everyone that this wasn't a race--that all members would, after the first mile, gradually work their way up to their own, comfortable walking speed.
Almost immediately, a very fit woman named Sarah, who was in her late sixties, established herself as the leader of our group. She walked at a brisk pace and obviously enjoyed it--her relaxed smile and bright eyes told the story. Because she kept getting ahead of us, going at her own pace, I had her loop back periodically to keep the group together.
Sarah had an easy gait. As she walked, I could see her body was nicely aligned and relaxed. Letting her continue at her established pace, I stayed back with the rest of the group to coach them.
At the back of the pack was a man in his late thirties named Jim, who was moderately obese and clearly out of shape. As I watched Jim struggle along, I noticed that he kept looking at Sarah as she got ahead of us, then circled back, rejoined us, and went ahead. Something about her pace seemed to be a direct threat to him.
Once we reached the 1-mile mark, I encouraged everyone to find their groove and to walk along at their own pace.
Then we came to the first rather steep hill. Sarah, never breaking her stride, began to walk up the hill. At that point, Jim, who had begun sweating profusely and was dabbing his forehead with a bandana, picked up his pace to follow her. I ran a bit to catch up with him.
"Are you okay, Jim?" I asked.
He was clearly laboring hard. "It's been a while," he panted, "I just need to find my stride."
I asked Jim if he wouldn't mind stopping at the top of the hill, and he breathlessly gave me the "okay" sign. I then waited while the other walkers all made their way up the same slope. Once I got to the top, I was alone with Jim (everyone else had continued to walk on). I stood beside him and offered him a drink of water.
"Why are you trying so hard?" I asked him.
At first, his response was a bit defensive: "I'm not trying hard! I'm just getting warmed up."
I waited a moment (and gave him a chance to catch his breath and for his heart rate to go down some). Then I said, "Jim, I'm going to make you have a good time if it's the last thing I do--not the last thing you do."
He looked at me with surprise, and then laughed.
I proceeded to continue, "We're here to move and to feel good--not to run ourselves ragged."
He smiled and nodded. After resting for a few more minutes, we walked the remaining 3 miles, engaged in one of the most delightful conversations I'd had in some time.
The next morning, Jim arrived for another walk and this time, he smiled and waved to me from the back of the pack. It is joy that brings you back to exercise--not pain or suffering.
A FIT BODY DOES A BRAIN GOOD
The brain is a remarkable organ, not just because of its vast potential and sophistication, but because, like muscle, it can be strengthened and repaired throughout our lifetime. And this is exciting news for all of us who plan on staying in our prime for decades to come.
I love sharing this tidbit of our evolution with my clients: Did you know that our brains (which are part of our nervous system) evolved specifically to coordinate movement? Our primitive bodies needed a central processing center, where nerves would receive and transmit information so that we could move around in the world. The primitive brains of all living creatures--including humans--were designed so that we would be able to react (flee from danger) or act (hunt and gather). That way, we were active, having an impact on the world around us, rather than sitting around waiting to see what would happen next. (No one wants to be someone else's lunch!) So remember: Our brains have evolved specifically to work in concert with our nerves and muscles in order to keep us in motion.
Until very recent years it was thought that the adult brain, once formed, did not significantly change throughout the years--except for the kind of gradual decline in memory power that we eventually experience. Now we know better. At any stage of life, our brains continue to change and respond to new learning. Exercise improves that process. Not only that, but exercise also helps prevent age-related cognitive decline--better known as memory loss--in a number of powerful ways.
In one study, 27 people were subjected to three kinds of "activities"--(1) high-impact running sprints, (2) low-impact aerobics, or (3) a period of rest. Immediately after each of the activities, they were given the task of learning unfamiliar vocabulary words. Their ability to remember the words was tested 1 week later and again more than 8 months later.
Researchers reported that the participants' speed of vocabulary learning was 20 percent higher after running (activity #1) than it was after low- impact aerobics (#2) or rest (#3). Remembrance of the words was also significantly better in the first group. In addition, the runners had higher levels of brain-derived neurotropin factor, a key brain chemical associated with brain development. They also had higher neurotransmitter levels, which correlated to improved learning.
Similar findings came from the Nurses' Health Study, which tracked exercise habits and cognitive function in more than 18,000 women aged 70 to 81. The fittest, most active women had a 20 percent lower risk for cognitive decline than sedentary women. One and a half hours of easy walking per day significantly correlated to better mental function and less decline with age.
A HABIT OF EXERCISE
Did you know that the word exercise actually derives in part from a Latin word that means "to maintain, to keep, to ward off"? The etymology of this word ties in perfectly with the effect exercise has on our brains. Movement and activity truly do "ward off" the ill effects of aging.
Several studies show that simply walking is a great way to invigorate your brain. Because walking isn't overly strenuous, all the blood and oxygen that are circulating through your body are available to your brain (rather than going to, say, the muscles in legs that might be £ding the pavement). Maybe that's why we're told to "walk it off" when we're upset or we take a walk when we want to clear our heads.
Walking regularly improves memory and also wards off stroke. In improving cholesterols and fat profiles in the blood, exercise decreases blockage in the brain as it does in the heart. When you are challenging your brain with new movement patterns in that dance class or new sport, you are optimizing brain function too.
Bottom line? Anytime you engage in physical activity, your brain is getting a boost. So remember, if you want to keep remembering, keep moving!
EXERCISE SOOTHES YOUR SOUL
Many people believe that when they're stressed out, the best remedy is to hole up and become inactive. This couldn't be further from the truth. Engaging in a brisk walk or an exercise class will not only tone your body, but it will also protect your body (and mind) from the ravages of stress.
Stress, in its most elemental form, is a normal physiological response to danger. Our body releases the hormones we need to react appropriately (this is called the "fight-or-flight" response). Naturally, we need to fight or flee if we're about to be attacked. But when stress is chronic--when we feel like fighting or fleeing nearly all the time--something not quite right is going on. Our bodies are being flooded with hormones such as cortisol. Although it helps prepare us for the struggle or flight from danger by increasing blood sugar levels, it also depresses the immune system, making us more prone to illness and less able to heal from injuries. In someone who is already predisposed to developing diabetes, chronically high blood sugar levels fuel the problem.
When stress is chronic, all sorts of physical damage can occur. Our cells may weaken. Blood pressure becomes elevated. The immune system loses some of its ability to fight off bacteria and viruses.
Exercise combats the damage caused by stress. When we exercise, our bodies release counterbalancing soothing hormones (endorphins and the like) into our bloodstream. These calming hormones are responsible for that legendary runner's high, a yogi's sense of serenity, and a tennis player's moving into the zone.
Being physically fit calms our nerves, allows us to get a better night's sleep, and keeps our brains sharp and ready for anything. There is, quite simply, no better stress buster. Being fitter means literally that it takes more stress--either the physical or emotional kind--to trigger the stress response.
MOVING THE POUNDS OFF
We all know that dietary calorie restriction and exercise go hand in hand-- but why? It's not that exercising guarantees you greater weight loss (it won't); it's because if you reduce your caloric intake without exercise, your body sheds both fat and muscle, which is not a good thing. When we lose muscle, our metabolism slows down considerably (that's another way of saying our bodies go into starvation mode). And it becomes even harder to lose weight (not to mention do pretty much anything else).
Engaging in physical activity of any kind will help you get leaner and stay that way. Any cardiovascular exercise will burn calories, which is the key to weight loss. It doesn't matter whether you swim, bike, walk, or run. As long as you expend more energy than you consume, you will get leaner. The key is finding some kind of movement that brings you pleasure. Once you discover that, it's almost a guarantee that you'll do that movement regularly.
Exercising rigorously also elevates your metabolism and encourages your body to burn calories more efficiently, which means it burns more, faster. And this, too, helps you lose excess fat.
