8 Benefits of Exercise You are Missing
We all know that nutrition plays a crucial role in our overall well-being. But did you know combining it with regular exercise can take your health and fitness to a new level? In this article, we'll dive into the importance of exercise, its various forms, and how it impacts your body. Plus, we'll explore the nutritional aspects that complement your fitness journey.
Benefits of Exercise
Let’s start with the understanding that regular exercise reduces fat mass and adipose (fat) tissue inflammation. When high levels of adipose tissue begin to go down, so does inflammation. Adipose (fat) tissue is a contributor to systemic inflammation if exercise isn’t a part of your daily regimen.
Exercise can be broadly categorized into two types: aerobic and anaerobic.
Aerobic Exercise: Think walking, jogging, running, cycling, jump roping, and swimming. This enhances your heart and lung function, reduces the risk of heart disease, and improves metabolic function. Plus, it's great for shedding those extra pounds.
Anaerobic Exercise: This high-intensity, short-duration exercise includes activities like weight lifting. It builds muscle strength, improves joint health, and boosts bone density.
Strength training in particular is beneficial because as you train, your body pumps blood throughout your system and boosts your immune system by causing an increase in the circulation of immune cells (9 types of white blood cells).
It is true that these two types of exercise lend us different enhancements to our health, but these are the top benefits that you can enjoy in order to live a long and healthy life.
8 Top Benefits
Fat loss
Muscle production
Improves heart and lung function
Increases metabolism
Reduces mental stress
Boosts immune system
Reduces the risk of heart disease
Improves joint health, and bone density, and regulates hormones
Exercise Fundamentals
To maximize your workout, you must consider two critical elements: Training Volume and Training Intensity.
Training Volume: This is your total work, usually measured by distance or time. More volume means longer, less intense workouts.
Training Intensity: This represents how much effort you put in. It's about lifting heavier weights or pushing yourself harder during cardio. Higher intensity leads to shorter, more intense sessions.
The relationship between volume and intensity is crucial. As one goes up, the other tends to decrease. This balance determines whether you're doing aerobic or anaerobic exercise.
Responses to Exercise
Understanding how your body responds to exercise is critical. It shapes the nutritional approach you should take.
Muscular Response: Exercise stimulates skeletal muscles, leading to adaptations like increased oxygen uptake and enhanced muscle fiber capacity. Aerobic training boosts oxygen delivery, while anaerobic training increases muscle size and strength.
Endocrine Responses: Exercise triggers the release of hormones. Testosterone and Growth Hormone are vital for muscle growth, while cortisol can lead to protein breakdown. Insulin and Insulin-like Growth Factors contribute to muscle protein synthesis.
Overtraining: While exercise is fantastic, overtraining is a genuine concern. It can lead to decreased performance, muscle soreness, and hormonal imbalance. Pay attention to markers like changes in performance, body fat, and cortisol levels to avoid overtraining. This can only be avoided if you are eating and resting appropriately to your activity level.
Nutrition for Exercise Training
Now, let's talk about nutrition. Your diet plays a massive role in how your body responds to exercise. Pairing the foods that nourish your body together with an exercise routine is incredibly effective in changing your body composition. Mental health improves and fat loss happens at a better rate as an increase of anti-inflammatory cytokines are released into your system.
Energy Requirements: Active individuals must calculate their calorie needs based on their activity levels. Optimal calorie intake supports performance and recovery.
Carbohydrate Requirements: Carbs are crucial for replenishing muscle glycogen levels, reducing fatigue, and optimizing performance. Timing carb intake before, during, and after exercise can be highly beneficial. Typically the body needs about 40-45% of its total calorie needs to come from carbohydrates.
Protein Requirements: Exercise increases protein needs. Aim for 1.5-2g per kg per day for regular exercisers. High-quality protein sources are essential.
Fat Requirements: Healthy fats support hormone balance, especially testosterone. Include them in your diet, but adjust based on your carbohydrate and protein intake.
Nutrient Timing: When you eat matters. Proper nutrient timing can improve energy levels, muscle growth, and recovery. Consider pre-training snacks, post-training shakes, and balanced meals.
Supplements: Essential Amino Acids, Vitamin C, Zinc, and Creatine are some supplements that may enhance your exercise performance. Remember, a balanced diet should always be the foundation, but here are a few of my favorites.
Aminos Acids I love to use during my workout but they can be consumed before, during or after.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. They fuel muscle gain and other physiological functions, including enzyme production, hormone regulation, cognitive ability, neurotransmitter balance, metabolism, and energy production.* As we age, we lose muscle mass, which can cause other health issues, so it is important to promote the growth of lean muscle mass.*
Of the 20 amino acids in total, nine are classified as essential amino acids (EAAs), those the body cannot produce itself. Therefore, they must be consumed through diet and supplementation to support the body’s internal production of energy.*
Thorne’s Amino Complex is a comprehensive blend of essential amino acids, which is high in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) – a group of amino acids validated through clinical trials to promote the growth of lean muscle mass and enhance muscle strength.*
EAAs benefit the body in multiple ways:
Support muscle repair and recovery*
Reduce muscle soreness*
Increase energy production*
Promote healthy blood sugar*
Support cardiovascular health*
Strengthen connective tissue*
Creatine I add to my protein shake every day after my workout.
Creatine is an amino acid found mostly in your muscles and in the brain. It’s naturally produced in the body from other amino acids. Creatine is also found in foods like meats, eggs, and fish. It plays a vital role in the body’s production of cellular energy by helping to make ATP, a molecule needed for intense exercise, as well as for supplying the energy to pump your heart and power your brain.*
Benefits of Thorne’s Creatine Monohydrate Powder:
Muscle Performance: Promotes physical endurance, power output, and increased work capacity of muscle*
Lean Body Mass: Enhances strength and promotes lean body mass*
Cognition: Supports cognitive function and a healthy body composition, especially in the aging population*
Cellular Energy Production: Creatine helps the cells of the body more efficiently create energy, thus benefiting exercise capacity*
Injury Prevention: Promotes a reduction in the frequency of dehydration, muscle cramps, and injuries to the muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, and nerves*
Nutritional Support: For individuals who have an increased dietary need, such as athletes, or for those who aren’t consuming enough creatine-containing foods in their normal diet*
Collagen Protein is also a favorite, this one in particular is the one I use:
Thorne's Collagen Fit contains 15 grams of types I and III, grass-fed, hormone-free collagen per serving. Collagen is rich in the amino acids that function as the building blocks for the body’s bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, skin, and other connective tissues.* Collagen peptides, also known as collagen hydrolysate, undergo a unique process that breaks collagen into shorter amino acid chains (peptides) that are easier to digest, as well as being free of the harsh chemicals used in other mainstream collagen products.
Benefits of collagen peptides:
Nutrient support for joints, muscles, bones, and skin
Improves activity-related or exercise-induced joint pain
Promotes the growth of lean muscle mass
Supports muscle repair and recovery
Strengthens connective tissue
Enhances skin, hair, and nail health
Shop here for any of the above supplements and save when using this link:: www.thorne.com/u/laurenburrows
Exercise is a powerful tool for improving your health, but it's even more effective when combined with the proper nutrition. By understanding the types of exercise, their responses in your body, and how food supports your goals, you can maximize the benefits of your fitness journey. So, lace up those sneakers, fuel your body right, and embark on a path to a healthier you!