Moving and challenging our muscles, bones and ligaments is where the real magic is. Photo / 123rf
Moving and challenging our muscles, bones and ligaments is where the real magic is. Photo / 123rf
OPINION Sitting is considered an "action verb" in the grammar world, but in the real world, it is the opposite "action" of what our bodies were created to do.
Defined as "a continuous period of being seated, especially when engaged in a particular activity," our modern lives are lost in ourcell phones, computers, TV programmes and social media, all of which demand and waste much of our precious energy and attention, while we sit.
This sedentary lifestyle creates havoc with our health. Like a "thief in the night," it works behind the scenes, under the radar, stealing our health, the most precious commodity we own. It puts us at higher risk for chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
In fact, prolonged sitting is so damaging and detrimental to our long-term health, it has now been labelled the "new cancer."
The reality is, without our health, we lose years of "active" living. Our bodies are meant to move, not sit. They are a use it or lose it machine.
Using them properly, means moving them properly. A leisurely stroll around the block is never a bad thing.
However, moving up a level and challenging our muscles, bones and ligaments is where the real magic is. It is where health begins and ends. If we don't challenge our body, we cannot change it.
The overall takeaway: Proper exercise is good for our body, and the biggest antiaging cellular health boost, is, without a doubt, strength training.
Because we lose vital muscle strength naturally as we age, it's vitally important that we consciously focus in this area.
Combating the aging process and boosting our health account isn't just for seniors either. Strength training is our golden ticket to staying healthy and strong not only now, but throughout our adult years.
The earlier we begin preparing for our later years, the better we can minimise their impact on us.
No matter our current age, proper exercise empowers us to look and feel younger. Our body gets stronger, more flexible, healthier and fitter.
A sedentary lifestyle creates havoc with our health Photo / 123rf
It improves our endurance and our balance, while increasing energy levels. Our body becomes trim and fit, we reduce the risk of chronic disease, relieve ongoing fatigue and anxiety and regain the youthful enthusiasm and energy required to live life to the fullest. It is our non-stop ticket towards reclaiming our youth, as years of inactivity can be wiped clean with just a few months of consistently performing a proper exercise programme. How powerful is that?
Like all machines, our bodies were created with and designed with a plan. They respond positively to physically challenging situations and strength training provides that environment.
Beyond helping the body, strength training shines on our minds. Scientists have linked physical exercise to brain health for many years.
Ongoing research prove that spending more time on the couch and less time being active fast-tracks our cognitive decline.
A sedentary lifestyle correlates to brain shrinkage, which increases our risk of memory loss and other cognitive problems. In other words, a lack of enough proper exercise leads to a decrease in brain size.
Dementia is can be the result. This life-wasting disease is at epidemic proportions. One in eight people aged 65 and over currently live with this debilitating disease. In the next 20 years, it is estimated that dementia will affect one in four rivalling the current prevalence of obesity and diabetes.
On a global scale the numbers of people living with dementia will increase from 46.8m in 2015 to 131.5m in 2050, a whopping 281 percent increase.
Sadly, there is still no known accepted cure for this devastating disease. It is the only condition in the top 10 causes of death without a treatment to prevent, cure or slow its progression.
The good news is, exceptional research reveals that our brain has great plasticity, which is controlled through diet and lifestyle choices. These studies provide compelling evidence that proper physical exercise helps build a brain that not only resists shrinkage but increases cognitive abilities by promoting neurogenesis - our brain's ability to adapt and grow new brain cells.
According to lead author Nicole Spartano, a trainee at the Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute at Boston University School of Medicine, "brain volume is one marker of brain aging. Our brains shrink as we age, and this atrophy is related to cognitive decline and increased risk for dementia. So, it is important to determine the factors - especially modifiable factors, such as fitness - that contribute to brain aging."
In essence, we have at our disposal a "power tool" that taps into, increases and enhances the growth of new brain cells and memory. Just like our muscles, our brain cells need to be stressed to grow and this is where a structured exercise program comes in.
It is proper physical activity that produces the required biochemical changes that strengthens and renews our body and our brain - particularly areas associated with memory and learning.
Aging is a natural part of life, but it does not have to be associated with disease, destruction, dementia and a total disruption of our lives.
No other exercise shines as bright in the field of health as strength training does. If you have not already, start today. Gift yourself with the many benefits that strength training offers. It is the gift that keeps on giving, that keeps us living. We have the reigns; we are in control but only if we apply ourselves.
Coco Chanel says: You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty and irresistible for the rest of your life.
So, what are you waiting for? Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Why not make it the best day?
