“I saw the angel in the marble, and carved until I set him free.”
-Michelangelo
OUR BODIES are constantly changing organisms, behaving much more like a moving river than the riverbed over which it flows. And similar to an old axe that has been in the family for centuries – with the handle replaced three times and the blade twice – our memories may stay with us but our original physical structure is long gone.
The cells in our bodies are constantly dying and being replaced, making way for fresh cells that can adapt to new circumstances. Each year we are housed in a newly remodeled home: our intestinal lining cells are replaced every few days, our red blood cells and muscle cells every few months, and our bone cells every few years or more. Interestingly, nerve cells can often live an entire lifetime. Each new cell seamlessly learns its role, allowing the entire body to move gracefully through a new season.
Similar to individual cells, human beings are also destined to live for only relatively short time periods, to be replaced by newer and stronger models, each slightly adapted to improve on the entire organism that we call the human race.
Like many mammals, humans often function most happily and efficiently when organized together as members of a group or pack. Born into a tribe, we are each specifically designed for hunting, foraging, building shelter, and interacting well with other members of our group. When we perform these functions we strengthen our individual bodies and minds, and also the entire tribal unit as well.
In his excellent book, Younger Next Year, co-written with Chris Crowley, physician Henry S. Lodge describes how our bodies are engaged in a constant tug of war between growth and decay, a system mediated by very complex chemical pathways. If we fail to make continuous efforts to grow, decay mechanisms will predominate, eventually compromising our health, longevity, and happiness.
It is essential for maximal health that we forage, hunt, lift things for shelter, and interact well with others as useful members of the group – or at least have our brain and body think that is what we are doing. The last part, interacting well with others, has no substitute, and it is essential to successfully interact well with family and friends if we wish to obtain maximal happiness and well-being.
There is a primitive part of our body that acts on a “use it or lose it” concept. This mechanism does not differentiate between foraging vs. walking, sprinting furiously toward prey vs. racing across the court to reach a backhand volley, or lifting a heavy log for shelter vs. doing a push-up. It just knows that our musculoskeletal structures are obviously performing a very important function, and it will do its best to allow that action to continue as long as possible.
If we act young and useful, keeping our muscles moving and often strained to the level of fatigue, signals from our body will be sent to the brain, which in turn will send out messages back to the body that stimulate growth, pleasure and continued life. Filled with chemical cues, our bloodstream bathes the tissues of our bodies with a restorative solution of growth.
This fluid contains substances that convey pleasure to other parts of our brain, bringing us happiness, and making it more likely that we will want to continue this activity that is so good for us. New blood vessels will grow deeply into our tissues, tendons will anchor down more firmly, and sexuality will be enhanced. This increased strength has the effect of amplifying our personal enjoyment, health, and longevity; and is also essential for the successful continuation of the tribe or group.
There was once a television show entitled “Dirty Jobs,” where the host introduced individuals who perform messy tasks so that the rest of us do not have to do them. Similarly, today most of us no longer have to forage, hunt, or lift to survive; as we can usually pay someone else to do these chores for us. This has certainly freed up time for many other valuable endeavors; however our bodies are designed to physically work hard – and we are essentially programmed with a self-destruct function if we fail to do so.
For maximal well-being we must stress our musculoskeletal structures to the level of fatigue, and frequently elevate our heart and breathing rates significantly above resting levels.
Here is the absolute bare minimum exercise requirement for optimal health and longevity: spend at least 20 -25 minutes each day doing a physical activity that will noticeably increase your heart rate and breathing rate. The American College of Sports Medicine, The American Heart Association, and the World Health Organization all recommend that adults perform a total of at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week.
Find an activity that you enjoy and go for it. Swim, run, fast walk, bike, row, lift weights, play sports, or better yet, all of the above. If necessary, join a gym or find an exercise partner to help keep you motivated.
One example of a “bare minimum” weekly exercise routine would include:
5 days of brisk walking
1 day of upper body strengthening exercises
1 day of lower body strengthening exercises
Your walk can incorporate a warm-up and cool-down leisurely stroll, but most of it should be at a brisk pace. You may wish to include some hills in your route if possible. If you are not the type to join a gym, consider doing upper body exercises at home with a $15 resistance cord, and also push-ups with your knees on the floor. For your leg strength you can perform squats, lunges, hip abduction, and heel raise exercises. Spend about 20 minutes on each activity, preceded and followed by 5 minutes of stretching.
Combined with a proper diet, an appropriate exercise program can also markedly decrease the need for many medications. Elevated cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension can often be completely avoided. Depression can be lessened or circumvented in many patients. Chronic pain syndromes can often be prevented by keeping muscles and tendons strong and limber. For most people, a yoga class or a game of tennis can offer more relaxation than that glass of wine or beer you may use to help you unwind each night.
It is best to begin these habits at a young age. If you are older, it is never too late to chart a course of improvement.
There are many reasons used to avoid exercise:
I am already too busy. However, many of our past Presidents have found time to fit exercise into their schedules – so that pretty much ruins that argument. I should not exchange my health, happiness, and longevity for status or money, which is often what I am doing if I spend too much time at work.
I cannot exercise because I have painful joints and a sore back, and exercise hurts too much. In truth, back problems typically become less troublesome with increased exercise. And strong muscles, tendons, and ligaments can help to protect joints from excessive wear and tear.
Start slowly, and be creative. If your knee hurts you when you walk, try swimming, rowing, or bicycling. If that does not work, go to a gym. Here you will find something that you can do; for instance exercising on the elliptical machine, which is designed to be easy on joints. You will figure it out.
Next time: Your body wants to hunt and gather: A few more challenging workout suggestions.