One More Reason to Get Moving

We know that exercise does a body good (certainly more so than drinking milk!). But even more evidence is being discovered--irisin being the most recent. Named after the greek messenger goddess Iris, this hormone is debuting as a critical communicator between the two different types of fat cells.

Many More Reasons to Get Moving: Part 2

Although the role of exercise in preventing various cancers is not clear, researchers have suspected the maintenance of a healthy body weight to contribute.  This reference to a healthy body weight relates more to the amount of fat (white fat to be exact, more on that later) that’s in the body as opposed to your actual weight.  It's now well-known that fat releases a host of hormones and what are known as cytokines.  In fact, in some circles, fat tissue is considered an endocrine organ, similar to your adrenal glands and reproductive organs.  Cancer development may be related to the release of these cytokines and hormones in excessive amounts.  Exercising and cutting back on the amount of white fat stored in the body therefore leads to the reduction in these circulating compounds.  

Many More Reasons to Get Moving: Part 1

It’s 4:30 pm and the countdown has begun until quitting time (only 60 min to go, 59 min, 58 min...).  For many, the idea of going to a gym or taking a brisk walk after work is the last thing on their mind after a long day.  Although physical activity has been engineered out of most of our lives, this does not disregard the fact that movement has historically been used for our productivity and survival (how else would we be getting our food!?).  It’s well-known that physical activity is beneficial for our health as seen by a host of studies showing a reduction in risk of disease with more exercise.

Small Steps, Big Difference

So we know we need to move more, but how do we do it in a society that values productivity at a sedentary desk instead of while being active (well of course this depends on your job, but a vast majority of the time, jobs aren’t as active as they should be!)?

Keep Things Moving: Part 2

So we’ve talked about keeping things moving through our digestive tracts by adding more real, fiber-rich foods into our diets.  Now to keeping our bodies moving!

Although some may ask why we need to walk or ride bikes if we have more advanced modes of transportation, evolutionarily speaking we are built to move.   The bipedal motion of the Homo sapien species and the improved capacity to walk compared to our primate ancestors confirm our natural need for movement.  In fact, walking is the ideal form of exercise, that is, if we actually had the time to do enough of it! As hunter gatherers, our survival and livelihood actually depended on our abilities to walk and run.  If we didn’t sprint to kill prey or walk miles to locate edible foods, we, along with our tight-knit communities, would perish.