Sunday, August 15, 2010

Proper Exercise Will Reduce Your Disease Risk by More Than 40 Percent

Up until the first half of the 20th Century people were very active. Farming, manufacturing, household chores, and agriculture meant manual labor and plenty of it.

Now-a-days machines do the work previously done by hand, cars have replaced walking and cycling and now 8 out of 10 people do not get enough physical activity. Our modern lives have become more 'comfortable' and 'easy' and manual labor is virtually extinct.

The problem with this is that without enough activity to keep the muscular systems strong to stimulate 'growth and repair' hormones that protect us from disease our bodies now do not have any way of keeping themselves healthy.

It is only when hormones are stimulated that tells our body to stay strong are old worn out cells and tissues renewed and replaced. When this is not happening the opposite is happening - chemicals whisper to the cells - decay and degenerate and the human body weakens and becomes susceptible to diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer and dozens of others.

Surely one day we will wake up and realize that our sedentary and inactive world is the cause of the epidemic rates of these diseases we give ourselves. Much suffering is being done to victims of cancer and other diseases and their families. Is this a price we want to pay for not having to do any 'work' anymore?

Most of us get through each day without moving a muscle. We sit as much as 80 percent of the day at our job then sit again in the evening in our leisure time maintaining our addiction to television or some other screen. Do we truly think this does not matter and there is no price for this inactivity?

One important factor that proper exercise provides to keep us healthy is that strong muscles burn up glucose from the blood stream. When muscles are allowed to become weak and flabby they have no need for fuel or energy so high blood sugar levels become a problem.

Insulin is pumped out to try and reduce the high sugar levels but there is nowhere for the glucose to go. The body is not active so it cannot process it.

So, now we have not only high blood glucose levels but high insulin levels as well. These two do enormous damage to blood vessels, cells and tissues when they get up to mischief. High levels of insulin cause cells to divide and grow more quickly increasing cancer risk.

Proper strength training exercise that directly works the muscles reduces circulating levels of hormones throughout the body and re-balances them slowing unhealthy weight gain and promoting weight loss. This is important as being overweight is linked with many forms of cancer.

The immune system is also strengthened when the muscular system is worked as muscle tissue is the storage sites for its fuel - the amino acid glutamine. This produces anti-bodies, white blood cells and killer cells to help find and destroy cancer cells.

So all in all just 2-3 sessions each week of a proper program done with a bit of effort is enough to keep us well and healthy. The thought of a terrifying medical diagnosis should be enough to get us into the nearest gym or fitness center so we can make sure we are never a victim of one these frightening diseases of our modern time.

By : Carolyn_Hansen

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