Exercise, in my opinion, has become one of the most oversaturated fields in the United States. Everyone has their view on what to do, how to do it, and when and what to eat. There are so many variations in the types of exercise there are and how nutrition plays into it - in this blog post I’m just going to give you the hard facts. Exercise isn’t just about gaining muscle, increasing your marathon time, or getting the best abs- it can actually increase your longevity and overall quality of life.

First, let's talk about the heart. Everyone knows it pumps blood and gets stronger, but when it is constantly put through moderate to vigorous exercise (80-95% of max heart rate) it has been shown to lower the chance of cardiovascular disease (1). This means you’ll have a lower chance of stroke, heart attacks, clogged arteries etc. (1). 

Next, and frankly my personal favorite, is the effect it has on mental health. In a study done in 2023, researchers found that exercise, through the use of controlling hormones, was shown to decrease anxiety symptoms and depressive episodes (2). Is exercise worth trying over medication? I can’t say for sure, but I think it's worth pondering if you’ve been prescribed. 

Lastly, and frankly, a very unknown fact is the effect muscle has on life later on. And by later on I mean the geriatric phase of one’s life. One thing that always stuck with me when I was growing up was the, “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” commercials. I could never understand why the people in those commercials had fallen and couldn’t get up as a child, but as I got older I started to figure it out. Obviously, it’s because they’ve tripped and therefore have fallen and most likely have broken a hip. But the missing link, and something I didnt understand until I got my undergraduate, was the loss of type 2 muscle fiber. Type 2 muscle fiber is also known as fast twitch muscle, and this muscle type is responsible for why we can catch ourselves when we fall, or why we can sprint fast and jump high. As we get older, we end up losing this muscle through a process called “sarcopenia” (3). 

Sarcopenia can be negated (to an extent) by training fast twitch muscle fibers. By doing things like lifting weights, running, jumping, skipping, and moving “fast” you can build type 2 muscle fibers and lower the risk of falls as you age and sarcopenia takes place (3). In 2017 a study by German researchers found that those who were at risk for falls and ended up combining resistance training exercise with proper nutrition actually reduced their risks of falls and fractures significantly (3). 

So what's the lesson of this post? Make exercise more than just getting big and constantly beating these numerical markers you set for yourself- a 10% body fat, 20lbs of muscle, 225lbs bench. Focus on what can happen to your body when you push it and challenge its capabilities.  

References

1. Kim, S. R., Lee, G., Choi, S., Oh, Y. H., Son, J. S., Park, M., & Park, S. M. (2022). Changes in predicted lean body mass, appendicular skeletal muscle mass, and body fat mass and cardiovascular disease. Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle, 13(2), 1113–1123. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcsm.12962

2. Mahindru, A., Patil, P., & Agrawal, V. (2023). Role of Physical Activity on Mental Health and Well-Being: A Review. Cureus, 15(1), e33475. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.33475

3. Schöne, D., Freiberger, E., & Sieber, C. C. (2017). Einfluss der Skelettmuskulatur auf das Sturzrisiko im Alter [Influence of skeletal muscles on the risk of falling in old age]. Der Internist, 58(4), 359–370. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00108-017-0212-5