Exercise, Health, Mortality - What New Research Says

Exercise is good for physical and mental health and well-being.  It fortifies our immune system and, when combined with wise eating choices, leads to a more productive and fulfilling life.

We all kind of get that, right?  Yet, there is also quite a bit of mystery when it comes to incorporating exercise into our daily routine.

How much do we need?  At what frequency?  How about intensity?  And, can we ever reach a point when exercise becomes more harmful than helpful?

Those questions (and more) were addressed in the current issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, which reports on the results of two new studies into the relationship between exercise and mortality in adults

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Here is a link to the article in the New York Times that does an excellent job of summarizing the results of this new research.

What’s the take-away?  About 150 minutes of physical activity each week with about 30 minutes of that being fairly vigorous.

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.  That's what I tell my sons.

Finding the Science in a Runner’s High

New research provides more insight into the runner's high.  (Photo: Yptparis.com)

I have a friend who considers running the best form of therapy.

 

When it is just you and your thoughts, you have this amazing ability to work things out, she once told me.

As it turns out, the healing solitude of a good run may produce a meaningful and all natural reaction in the brain that has an affect similar to marijuana.   

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers found that “anxious mice that went for a run were much calmer, and that levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids in their bloodstreams were elevated.”

Endocannabinoids generate a comparable euphoria in the brain as a strong hit of pot.  Endocannabinoids are naturally occurring though and, of course, perfectly legal.

So…the next time you are stressed and anxious, take a few laps around the track at the local high school.  You’ll feel (and look) fabulous.

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Health and Wellness at the Century Mark

Florence Greco has been on this planet for nearly 100 years.  She is active, mobile and intellectually engaged.  Her secret:  daily exercise.

Florence’s daughter penned this wonderful article for the Washington Post about the physical, emotional and spiritual benefits of exercise.  As you may have suspected, Florence served as the inspiration.

The article includes an interview with Ronan Factora, a gerontologist at the Cleveland Clinic.  Here’s a compelling quote from Dr. Factora:

People at any age benefit from exercise and the frailest residents in nursing homes benefit the most. Exercise helps keeps aging bodies healthy by increasing blood flow to the brain, carrying extra oxygen and other nutrients. It also helps keep blood pressure and blood sugar at normal levels, lowering the risk for vascular dementia.

I share Florence’s commitment to physical exercise and its role as an important part of a healthy lifestyle.  In fact, I play pick-up basketball three or four times a week, which also provides me with a productive competitive outlet and a channel for stress relief.

When combined with my practice of self-hypnosis for focus, sleep and stress mitigation, I feel like I’m on the right path.  With a bit of luck and good fortune, I will hopefully be as active and engaged as Florence when I hit the century mark.

Greco pumping iron.  Photo:  Washington Post