10/01/2022
I often hear patients say a good workout relieves excess stress. That’s because exercise reduces cortisol – the stress hormone.
Too much cortisol and you become insulin resistant and store belly fat. Too much cortisol also makes you crave sugar and carbs and seek comfort food.
Let’s consider some of the other reasons why exercise is important:
BETTER INSULIN SENSITIVITY: Exercise makes your cells and muscles more sensitive to insulin so you don’t need as much. Less insulin means less belly fat.
LESS STRESS: I often hear patients say a good workout relieves excess stress. That’s because exercise reduces cortisol – the stress hormone. Too much cortisol and you become insulin resistant and store belly fat. Too much cortisol also makes you crave sugar and carbs and seek comfort food.
BETTER BRAIN HEALTH: Your brain on exercise performs so much better. Exercise improves memory, learning, and concentration. Vigorous exercise is a better antidepressant than Prozac. Exercise creates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDMF), which is basically miracle grow for your brain. When you exercise, your brain becomes more elastic. Exercise also helps to improve your mood, boost your energy, and reduce overall stress in your body and mind.
REDUCED RISK FOR CHRONIC DISEASE: Exercise does this through several mechanisms. It protects your heart and reduces your risk of heart attack and stroke. It reduces inflammation (the cause of almost every disease of aging). And it balances hormones, therefore reducing breast and other common cancers.
ENHANCED DETOXIFICATION: Besides stimulating the colon, intense exercise allows your body to release toxins through your skin. It boosts detoxification of environmental chemicals. Vigorous exercise will help you work up a sweat, but gentle exercise keeps your circulation going and flushes out all the toxic fluids that build up in your lymphatic system. If your daily exercise routine doesn’t cause you to sweat profusely, take a steam or infrared sauna, if possible.
IMPROVED SEXUAL FUNCTION: Increased circulation and more energy are two of many reasons that consistent exercise can spark up your s*x life.
