Exercise: The Miracle Drug
While people today may be more clued up on the benefits of exercise and more and more people are joining gyms or participating in extracurricular sports, people still see exercise as a way to lose weight or get fit, when the benefits of exercise actually span a wide range of physiological areas.
Additionally, modern technology has reinforced many people’s sedentary lifestyle since computers and Smartphones have come to dominate our lives and have also made betting NZ options easier than ever before. Instead of freeing up more time for exercise, our modern “always on” lives have made us sit behind our desks or on our couches even more.
Today exercise is more and more being labelled as a “miracle drug” that fights everything from depression to poor digestive health as new research delves deeper into the role of physical activity and our general well being. Let’s take a look at a few studies completed in 2017 that should get you fired up to tackle your new year’s resolution of more exercise.
Exercise Protects Against Reduced Brain Connectivity
A study completed in May last year looked at adults between the ages of 60 and 88 who suffered from Mild Cognitive Impairment or MCI, a precursor to Alzheimer’s Disease. This first stage is marked by memory and language problems along with general cognitive faculty loss.
The study asked these at risk individuals to simply walk for 30 minutes a day, 4 times a week and it was found that there were clear improvements in the weakened neural connections in the participant’s brains. This led researchers to believe that exercise can prevent or even reverse MCI in at risk patients.
Another study in July by the University of Illinois looked at the role of exercise on chemo patients. The study was focused on a condition colloquially called “chemo brain” which affects patients who undergo the therapy and then experience a loss of memory and problems focussing.
The study looked at breast cancer patients and supplied them with tracking equipment and a specially designed test app, which would measure the patients cognitive functioning. Not only was there a clear improvement on the patients’ health, they also could concentrate much better than breast cancer survivors who did not engage in exercise.
Exercise Improves Gut Bacteria
Your gut is a whole biome of microorganisms that play a key role not just in your digestive health, but in your general health. While the bacterial processes that go on in your stomach are quite complex, and their exact role on your overall health is still hotly debated, it doesn’t change the fact that regular cardiovascular exercise plays a profound role on the health of your gut’s microbiome.
In a study by the University of Illinois it was found that exercise improves the levels of good bacteria in your gut, independent of the individual studied’s overall dietary health or general health. It is clear from these recent studies that exercise holds way more benefit than simply stronger leg muscles. The interconnectedness of our bodies’ various elements show that regular exercise has a complex knock on effect on our overall well-being. Exercise should rather be treated not as a tool for physical fitness but instead overall well-being.