Exercise, so much better than you thought

Exercise is important for physical health.  We all know that.  But in the last decade research has uncovered a wealth of new data showing that exercise essentially effects all aspects of life for the good.  We were made to move, not lay around.  Below are four interesting benefits of exercise that your mom may not have told you: 

Exercise increases productivity 

Rather than depleting your motivation, as one might think, exercise ultimately boosts your energy level.  A recent study published in the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine found that workers who exercised at least 2 & ½ hours per week out performed all other employees, even when they worked less hours on the job.  In other words, if you feel you are behind schedule – stop what you’re doing and exercise.  This study found that exercise boosts productivity in real time and decreases time needed off work due to illness.  Stop running behind by actually going for a run.

Got a worried mind?

Did you know that exercise is the best and safest way to balance your brain chemicals?  The research is startling – exercise helps tremendously with many social and mental problems in contemporary society – including depression, addiction, aggression, Alzheimer’s, dementia, ADD, insecurity, learning challenges, anxiety and stress.  The list goes on.  Regular activity is so successful that many psychologists are now prescribing exercise as part of their treatment therapy.  The bottom line is that we all need to exercise, not just for our bodies, but for our minds.  Talk to your spouse, your friend or family member, and schedule regular exercise together.  You’ll soon find yourself looking forward to the daily peace of mind and joy this time brings.

Forever young

Scientist now know what makes us die.  The culprit is a tiny strand on your chromosome called a telomere.  Your telomeres shorten just a little bit every time your cells divide.  Once your telomeres are gone, your cells die and, so do you unfortunately.  Think of a telomere a little bit like a candle, when there’s nothing left to burn, the light goes out.  Your telomere length is determined by two things:  your genes and your activity level.  The best way to increase your telomere length and, hence your life, is to exercise.  It is believed that regular exercise can add as much as a decade to your life.  You want to live longer?  Push your body to your limit.

Bigger brains

Exercise does two important things to the brain that will make you more creative:  1^st – Exercise gets rid of brain waste and brain fog.  Over time, toxins and harmful chemicals build up in our brain’s highways just like they do in the rest of the body.  Exercise cleans up these toxins and clears the traffic jams from these mental highways.  2^nd, exercise actually builds more avenues in the brain.  The protein called BDNF, which stimulates brain growth, is secreted when you exercise.  This protein builds pathways – think of them as new streets and roads between separate places and ideas, thus increasing creativity and your ability to multitask.  You want to be the one with the brilliant but unexpected solution in your next meeting?  Hit the gym.

Dr. Sam Yoder, D.C.

Chiropractor in Campbellsville, KY

Don't let heart disease kill you

Heart disease is the American killer.  In 2008 it caused 25% of all deaths – that’s 616,000 people who died at the mercy of their own failing heart.  The yearly medical cost to treat heart disease is over 100 billion.  Before I go any further, it should be said that if you have heart disease, you need to remain under the supervision of your doctor.  But - and this an important but - there may be some things you need to know, things your doctor may not be aware of.  It’s generally thought, even among many health care professionals, that there is no real cure for heart disease.  But is that true?  If you or someone you love has heart disease, are you really just waiting to die?

In 1990, Dr. Dean Ornish, a medical doctor, conducted a groundbreaking study that showed you can actually reverse cardiovascular disease naturally.  Dr. Ornish found by eliminating smoking, and making real changes in your diet and exercise, you can have a significant decrease in chest pain, a decrease in cholesterol levels, and a decrease in arterial stenosis – also called hardening of the arteries.  Note what he found:  his program didn't just halt the progression of heart disease - it reversed it.  Dr. Ornish was the first to demonstrate that not only is there an alternative to our invasive, traditional cardiology, the alternative might actually be superior.  

Following this study, Dr. Ornish published a mouthful:  Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease:  The Only System Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease Without Drugs or Surgery.  Don’t let the title put you off – the book is very accessible, written for lay persons.  It contains numerous recipes and is laden with practical steps for killing America's #1 killer.

A few years after Dr. Ornish’s study, another doctor tackled and even greater hurdle.  Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a Surgeon at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio took 17 pts with advanced heart disease and implemented a change in diet and exercise.  Most of these patients had such sever heart disease that they’d been given less than 1 year to live.  Incredibly, within months of implementing Dr. Esselstyn’s program, every single patient saw a dramatic decrease in chest pain, cholesterol levels, and increase blood flow.  For the next decade there was not one single major cardiac event.  Dr. Esselstyn’s study continued for 20 years, with staggering results.  

As a cardiologist, he argues that conventional cardiology has failed to appropriately treat heart disease – ultimately to the patient's demise.  The problem, he contends, is that the traditional approach focuses on the symptoms, or the effect of heart disease, rather than the underlying cause.  He published a book called Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease.  It offers a simple, nutritional based program that anyone can implement.  I highly recommend it.

The point is, you don’t have to live in fear.  You do not have to be a slave to your heart disease.  With the proper supervision and proper lifestyle changes, you can reverse heart disease and take control once again.  Always remember that health is a choice.  

Empower your health.

Dr. Sam Yoder, D.C.
Chiropractor in Campbellsville, KY