Dr. Dodge: Passion for Health

“Exercise is the master key to health. It is the engine that empowers good health,” says Dr. Henry Lodge of Columbia University. Other top health authorities agree. In addition to helping our muscles, exercise has a powerful impact on everything from our brains to our toes. It is marvelous for body, mind, and spirit.

The cells in our bodies are being replaced constantly. Old cells are destroyed in every tissue and organ of the body as new cells are made to replace old ones. Cells of some tissues are replaced faster than others, but decay and renewal processes are going on simultaneously in our bodies at all times.

Exercise is the key to determining whether renewal or decay has the upper hand in every body tissue. It boosts hundreds of reparative cascades into high gear. Muscular blood flow triples in volume, picks up reparative chemicals in the process, and carries these rebuilding agents to every cell in the body.

This is why exercise is the secret to rejuvenating your body. It is a powerful tool, but it must be used regularly to be effective. By contrast, the sedentary lifestyle is one of slow decay, predisposing the body to a host of degenerative diseases.

What kinds of exercise are best? Three broad categories consist of endurance, flexibility, and resistance types of exercise. Endurance activities like jogging, walking, bicycling, and swimming are often called aerobic exercises. Flexibility exercise is typified by yoga, while weight lifting is a type of resistance exercise.

How frequently and how intensely should a person exercise? Most authorities agree that thirty to sixty minutes of moderate exercise five or six days a week is ideal. Brisk walking is most practical for many. Whatever choice or combination of choices is made, the key is to begin, build up slowly, and keep at it!

In addition to basic endurance exercise, it is worth adding flexibility and resistance activities to one’s exercise routine several times a week, either at home or a local gym. If you wish, a trainer can help you start in basic exercises twice a week for a few weeks, and then you can continue on your own. Muscle tone, posture, and sense of balance all improve, as does one’s overall sense of wellbeing.

What if you are physically disabled and cannot walk or do any of these exercises? Most disabled people can do some kind of exercise. Even people in nursing homes can do simple guided exercises in their wheelchairs that have proven to be helpful.

Exercise does wonderful things for us in multiple ways. It is the engine that drives good health. That’s why it is the sixth secret of exceptional health!