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Writer's pictureutahfoundationalnutrition

Movement, why it is so beneficial for health.





Exercise lowers blood pressure.

Exercise works like beta-blocker medication to slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure (at rest and also when exercising).


Exercise is key to weight control. We eat food specifically carbohydrates to give us energy to so if we enjoy eating we need to

enjoy moving otherwise we store it for use later. Yes, that fat around the midsection is like an energy

pack for when you decide to move.


Exercise helps strengthen muscles. A combination of aerobic workouts (walking, running, swimming, and other vigorous heart-

pumping exercises) and strength training (weight lifting, resistance training) is considered best for

heart health. These exercises improve the muscles’ ability to draw oxygen from the circulating

blood. That reduces the need for the heart—a muscular organ itself—to work harder to pump more

blood to the muscles, whatever your age.


Exercise can stop or slow the development of diabetes.

Johns Hopkins research has shown that when combined with strength training, regular aerobic exercise such as cycling, brisk walking, or swimming can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by over 50% by allowing the muscles to better process glycogen, fuel for energy, which when impaired, leads to excessive blood sugars, and thus diabetes. Again the fat on our organs is used for the energy we are using out stored snacks (fat) that are sitting on organs, muscles, and liver.


If we are eating too much in excess however we will not use up the storage. If we are eating too low we will lose at first and then go into a state of fight or flight, the body believing we are in a time of scarcity/ famine. So make sure you are eating correctly for the body/goals.


Exercise lowers stress. Stress hormones can put an extra burden on the heart. Exercise—whether aerobic (like running),

resistance-oriented (like weight training), or flexibility-focused (like yoga)—can help you relax and

ease stress. Mood often has to do with blood flow around the brain. This is why energy drinks can

be addicting and caffeine, but they get to the point where they get overdone and it can cause anxiety. Exercise can be this same thing, balance!


Exercise reduces inflammation. With regular exercise, chronic inflammation is reduced as the body adapts to the challenge of exercise on many bodily systems. This is an important factor for reducing the adverse effects of many of the diseases just mentioned.


Movement of all kinds has been proven over and over to help the health of the body. 30 mins a day of walking or some kind of exercise is all you need to keep at a baseline. We have had so many gadgets invented we are all becoming like the movie wall-e. With this disconnection, our amount of mental health problems is growing.


The blood flowing around the body and the brain not only supports the cardiovascular but it helps you to push nutrients into your tissue. Your blood is the delivery system of the nutrients we ingest. If you want a healthy body you need to eat whole foods, digest them, and then have good blood flow to push the nutrients to where it needs to go. So getting the body moving helps digestion essentially.


Incomplete digestion/driving of calcium or fats, or incomplete proteins can make it hard to have good blood flow. These incomplete factors can cause thickening of the blood making the heart have to work harder. So I will say again, digestion is key as well as proper diet in all aspects of health. Calcium once in the body needs fats broken down to drive it to the tissue. Fat needs bile to break it down to do what we need, and proteins need a complete amino acid profile to be used to rebuild tissue.


For those who can not move due to injury or disability, not all is lost there are other things you can do stretching, breathing, heat, and cold therapy. The point with these is to cause stress to the body for 5 mins is important for it to be strong. Be cautious with doing heat and cold therapy understand the health issues and reactions and use the tools wisely.


If you need help finding a regimen for you with food, exercise, or alternative therapies set up a scan, and let's make a plan of action for you. I can also work remotely with those not local with phone calls and surveys.

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