“The Wonder of Exercise: A True Elixir” explains our Clinical Director, Simon Mesner

Exercise on your way to and from work #urban gym

What health parameter will exercise be proved to be good for next?  What ever it is, I won’t be surprised.  Exercise has been proved to be beneficial and indeed vital for good health.  Many people are aware that being active is good for one’s heart lungs but as we can see from the other information we have posted this week, it is also good for the brain.  But the benefits don’t stop there.  Due to a myriad of processes that are enhanced/stimulated by exercise many other parts of the body are benefited by exercise.  An example is that increasing one’s exercise level increases the capillary density of the body.  This allows blood to access more areas of the body.  This of course allows nutrients and oxygen to tissues but also transports immunological factors and trace chemicals which are important for repair, fighting infection and maintaining health.

Another example is the effect exercise has on organs.  The heart becomes stronger as it beats more frequently and with greater force to push more blood per minute around the body.  The pancreas secretes it’s ‘other’ hormone glucagon in response to exercise.  This breaks down the body’s store of easy access glucose, glycogen into glucose to feed the respiring tissues.  A lack of exercise and thus imbalanced pancreatic function is linked to onset of type II diabetes.  The lungs become more efficient at releasing carbon dioxide from the body and absorbing the oxygen from the air.  The massive volume of the lungs needs to be constantly ventilated to maintain it’s elasticity and to keep it from becoming infected.  Taking deep breaths associated with exercise enhances these processes.

And of course regular exercisers have better mental health as well as lower cancer rates across the board.  I could go on but I hope you get the point.

See exercise as a normal part of your daily life and you’ll find out you’ll have more life to enjoy but you’ll also enjoy it with less dysfunction and disability.

If you want to start exercising but not sure where to start or get the motivation to do so, or fit it in to your already busy life, contact me Simon.Mesner@backinactionuk.com  or tweet me @SimonMPhysio for advice.