Exercise promotes gut health, energy, and overall health

The body is a collection of one whole integrated system. Our body is connected and influenced by the brain, and vice versa, therefore what we do to one will have a profound impact on the other. So the health status of our body will have a tremendous impact on the performance of the mind. Exercise plays a critical role in holistic health, and although its role in physical health is more evident, it will also reflect undeniable benefits on the mind and the spirit.

Exercise for the body

It is well known that fitness improves energy levels and vitality, while reducing the overall risk for chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Exercise impacts all systems within the body, including the gut, the transport system (which includes the circulation and lymphatic system), immunity and inflammation, detoxification system, the hormone/endocrine system, the energy system, as well as the body’s structural integrity. But let’s break this down a bit with a few examples and go behind the scenes to understand the real mastery of exercise on the body.

Exercise for Gut Health

Exercise improves gut motility and elimination of wastes and toxic materials. An active body leads to active bowels! The elimination of wastes is so critically important to prevent bioaccumulation of toxic materials in our body, which can overwhelm the liver and detox system, which can predispose us to illness and disease.

Exercise for Hormone Balance

Exercise maintains insulin sensitivity and lowers the risk of diabetes. Insulin resistance occurs when fat, liver and muscle cells don’t respond well to insulin, and are unable to efficiently take up glucose (circulating sugar) to use for energy. The pancreas must therefore secrete more insulin in order to balance blood-sugar levels. If the pancreas continues to be overworked, it may lose its ability to produce enough insulin to help balance blood sugar levels, and hence the risk for diabetes increases. Exercise improves the cells’ ability to take up and utilize glucose, particularly in the muscle cells, and maintain good insulin sensitivity.

Exercise helps to lower visceral fat and inflammation. Visceral fat secretes pro-inflammatory molecules in the body. Inflammation is known to influence many hormones in the body. For example, inflammatory molecules can decrease insulin sensitivity, and can also reduce leptin sensitivity in the hypothalamus, which means it is more difficult to regulate hunger levels and control body weight in return. Both inflammation and visceral fat are associated with heart disease.

Exercise is a VITAL stress mediator. It helps to reduce the stress hormone known as cortisol. Chronic elevation of cortisol levels has been shown to increase the incidence of insulin resistance, weight gain and obesity risk.

Exercise for Energy

Although it seems paradoxical at times to believe that doing something exhausting is going to improve our energy, exercise does just that. There are various mechanisms responsible for this adaptation. There is an improvement in overall cardiac function to pump blood, and there is an increase in the number of blood vessels (capillarization), both of which increase blood flow throughout the body, oxygen delivery and hence, energy! Additionally, exercise increases the production of mitochondria inside cells, which are the little ‘powerhouse’ organelles responsible for the production of ATP, the body’s main energy substrate.

Exercise for Immunity

Exercise modulates the immune system. During and after exercise, there are pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules released, the circulation of lymphocytes increases, and cell recruitment increases. These factors correlate with a lower incidence of illness and intensity of symptoms from viral infections, COVID-19 included. It is important to be regular with physical exercise, and moderate-intensity seems to have good benefits. Note that exercise of moderate-high intensity which lasts longer than 90 minutes may trigger an immunological decrease.

Exercise improves our structural integrity

Exercise is well-known to help maintain muscle mass, promote bone and joint health, and reduce the risk of diseases like osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercise is particularly important. Sarcopenia becomes increasingly prevalent as we age, which is the decline of muscle mass. The level of muscle mass in turn will also influence hormone levels such as testosterone and estrogen, which affects libido, menopause, and the risk for certain cancers like breast and prostate.

Exercise for a healthy vascular system

Exercise reduces inflammation, which is a major catalyst for the development of atherosclerosis and heart disease. Cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart muscle and makes it more efficient at pumping blood throughout the body, while also lowering blood pressure. Additionally, exercise also increases the good HDL cholesterol levels in the body. All of these factors help to reduce cardiovascular disease.

Exercise for the mind

The brain is the most important and powerful universe in the body. It is a three pound organ that is connected to everything else. Our brain health is largely impacted by our lifestyle and nutrition.

Declining brain health can present itself as: memory loss, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, eating disorders, OCD, addictions and ADD.

As you may have heard in recent years, Alzheimer’s is now the new TYPE 3 Diabetes. Changes in the brain may be found 20-40 years before the first signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s occur. Hormone balance continues to be important for a healthy brain.

With stress, elevated cortisol levels negatively impact the prefrontal cortex, which is a part of the brain that is responsible for executive functions, critical thinking and organization. Elevated cortisol levels also impact a part of the brain responsible for retaining information and forming memories, called the hippocampus. This explains why we are less likely to remember things while we are experiencing periods of high stress!

As we can see, chronic stress can lead to early cognitive decline. So we must manage stress in order to maintain our mental function. Do you remember how exercise lowers cortisol?!!!

Interestingly, exercise also has immunomodulatory actions within muscle tissue that stimulate the brain’s resident immune cells (microglia) to produce neurotrophic factors that are involved in the production of new brain cells, and the maintenance of health of existing ones. One example is BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). This molecule is like “miracle grow” for the brain. In this way, it can help to decrease depression as well as prevent cognitive decline.

Exercise for the spirit

Intense aerobic exercise increases the availability of tryptophan (an amino acid) to be transported to the brain. Tryptophan is a precursor to Serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter. Serotonin is a critical signaling molecule that has a number of benefits, including stabilizing our mood, and impacting our sense of well-being and happiness. It also has an impact throughout our body, aiding with sleep, eating patterns and digestion.

The stress hormone, cortisol, can actually shunt tryptophan away from being converted to serotonin through enzymatic pathways. Therefore, exercise to modulate and reduce cortisol levels is important to support this pathway which is involved in improving serotonin levels.

Exercise goals and prescription

Setting exercise goals is important in order to incorporate enough exercise into your lifestyle.

It is vital to include a variety of exercise modalities in your exercise routine. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week, and two days a week of strength training.

Strength training can include a number of different modalities, such as pilates, yoga, bands, calisthenics, or weight training. You should also incorporate flexibility training to help maintain good range of motion in our joints, mobility and reduce the risk of injury.

Exercise is important throughout your entire life to help maintain your health and vitality. But the goals of exercise will vary as you move through different life stages. For example, in your 60’s and beyond, exercise and the maintenance of muscle mass becomes increasingly important to help maintain health, mobility, and independence. Balance training should be included here for fall prevention. Recognize your needs, and your goals will be clear.

You should look to incorporate exercise into your daily living routine as much as possible. Whether it’s walking an extra couple of blocks to the bus stop, taking the stairs at work, cleaning the house or gardening, it is important to include it daily, in addition to structured exercise. Instead of throwing your laundry down the stairs, think about how you can get in a few extra steps!

Find your passion! The best way to incorporate and maintain a consistent exercise routine in your life, is by enjoying the life you’re living while you’re exercising in it. So find something you enjoy or love to do. If you hate going to the gym alone, then don’t force yourself to go to the gym. You may prefer the outdoors, or group fitness classes with other people. Try a new sport, or buddy up your workouts with a friend to help keep you motivated and accountable.

Making exercise an integral and daily part of everyday living will ultimately help promote healthy aging of the mind, body and spirit. Find out what sets your soul on fire and let it burn!