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Those who follow me on Facebook will know that I frequently signify the completion of each of my workouts with a status that simply says “Dose”.   I do this largely to share the message with others that exercise, all by itself, is simply one of the most powerful tools we have for the prevention and treatment of many disorders, dysfunctions, and diseases.  I want them to know that Exercise is Medicine!

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More importantly, my hope is that by sharing when I’ve had my “dose”  this will incite others (even if it is just ONE person) to move that day and begin to make a difference in their own lives and the lives around them.

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Now, if I’m being honest, the phrase above isn’t my own. “Exercise is Medicine” is actually the name of an initiative coordinated by the American College of Sports Medicine and I have borrowed it because it is such a powerful statement and I think it speaks to a lot of people.  Because of this, I want to use today’s post to touch briefly on the medicinal (and almost magical) benefits of exercise.  More specifically, I want to focus on the improvements that can be had with exercise EVEN IF WE DON’T RESTRICT CALORIES.

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1. Improved Cholesterol

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Exercise alone has been shown to increase HDL (good) cholesterol, which is a valuable improvement for heart health.  And while some might argue that cholesterol is largely related to genetic factors and another faction might even argue that improving cholesterol isn’t linked to many “hard” outcomes (like improving mortality rates), I feel it is still worthy of attention and it is formally considered a risk factor for cardiac issues is most medical establishments.

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2. Decreased Triglycerides

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Triglycerides, in the simplest sense, are the fats that float around in our bloodstream and when they become elevated can put us at increased risk for heart disease. Exercise can burn off these fats and it has been shown (in many cases) to be even better than calorie restriction for this very purpose.

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3. Decreased Blood Pressure

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High blood pressure (otherwise known as hypertension) is a leading cause of strokes and it is often called “the silent killer” because you don’t necessarily notice the change happening as it slowly increases over time. Exercise can reduce both systolic (the top number) and diastolic (the bottom number) blood pressure thereby reducing our risk of stroke.

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4. Improved Insulin Sensitivity

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When we eat a carbohydrate (vegetables, fruits, starches, and candy) the sugars from those foods goes into our blood stream. Our pancreas then releases the hormone insulin to tell many of the cells in our body to take up and use those sugars. *Note to fitness peeps – Don’t crucify me here, I’m simplifying for the masses*

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When our cells become insulin resistant they fail to listen to the signals given by insulin (kinda like I do to my wife when she asks me to take the garbage out) and the sugars in the blood continue to rise. Left unchecked, this problem can become worse and eventually may lead to diseases like Type 2 Diabetes which can bring with it a whole host of other problems like vision loss, neuropathy, and kidney problems.

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The most incredible thing though, is that as soon as you begin to move your body shuttles the sugars from your blood into your cells for use, blood sugar normalizes, and your sensitivity to insulin jumps up drastically. In fact, this jump is so drastic that if you want to show the effects of exercise on chronic changes in insulin sensitivity (not just those from the most recent exercise bout) you have to wait FOUR DAYS to test for this. So the result is INSTANT and lasting.  The second you move…you improve!!!

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Add to that the fact that over time insulin sensitivity will become improved even while you’re not exercising if you continue to maintain that active lifestyle!!!  Whether you’re currently healthy, insulin resistant, or Diabetic exercise can help.

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5. Reduced Waist Circumference and Visceral Fat

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You’ve probably heard that certain body shapes are more at risk for cardiovascular issues and that is probably an understatement. While there is some research suggesting this is not the case, most professionals would agree that fat stored around the waist (more specifically around the organs – called visceral fat) is a ticking time bomb.

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Fortunately, exercise can decrease abdominal fat and waist circumference EVEN WITHOUT WEIGHT LOSS. I’ve seen cases where people are losing 8-10 inches off their waists in 6 months with no change in weight so not only does it look better, but they have drastically reduced their risk of death from cardiovascular causes.  So you can get new jeans and be healthier!  Score one for activity!

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6. Improved (or maintained) Bone Density

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As women get older – or for those who have had their ovaries removed – the risk for bone loss increases leading to hip fractures, immobility, and other complications increases. Simple higher impact activities or moderate resistance training can prevent bone loss and even increase it if you work hard enough.

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7.  Increased Strength

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I could go on all day about the virtues of being strong, but in terms of every day activites, it just makes life easier.  From picking up groceries and children, to lifting stuff at the gym getting strong is like a magic pill that helps make things that were once difficult feel simple.  Exercise can make you stronger and THAT is medicine.

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8. Stress Reduction

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Whether this is brought about by neurochemical changes in the brain or some psychological factor I don’t know.  Frankly, I don’t even really care.  To me, lifting heavy things helps to vent my frustrations through the iron.  But at the same time, going for an afternoon in the park with my wife and daugher, running on the climbers, and swinging on the swings does exactly the same thing for relaxing my mind and bringing me in touch with what is REALLY important in life.

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9. Increased Muscle Mass

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As muscle mass is corrlated with strength, metabolism, and absolute sexiness (okay…I made up the last one…but I figure it helps with that too) you can’t go wrong by getting active.  You’ll be stronger, leaner, and sexier for your efforts.  In fact, those who lose weight without activity tend to lose muscle mass, reduce their metabolic rate, and have a harder time overcoming plateaus.  So whether you’re dieting or not…movement is good.

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10. Weight Loss

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I’ve said in the past that I don’t think adding exercise to an already solid diet does a lot in terms of absolute amount of weight lost.  In that case, I think it comes down to more of what kind of weight is lost.  With activity involved, a greater proportion of the weight lost will be fat and more muscle will be retained so exercise obviously has a role here.

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But even without calorie restriction, moderate intensity exercise can bring about a weight loss if the appropriate amount of activity is done.  Below 150 minutes per week you’d be looking at 9lbs in a year, over 150 minutes per week and you’ll achieve closer to 18lbs in a year, and once you exceed 200 minutes per week (about 30 minutes per day) you can score yourself about 33lbs of weight loss in one year with NO DIETARY CHANGE!!!  Of course, changing your diet is good too, but in terms of health you could lose weight and become more active and you’d be reducing TWO risk factors for heart disease!

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Frankly, I could probably go on forever and talk about the effects of cardiovascular fitness on reducing mortality and so forth, but I think you already get the idea.  My two most major points are that exercise is NOT just about weight loss (although it helps) and that regardless of how much you’re willing to do, the benefits are incredible as long as you start.

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Even if it sounds like a HUGE leap for you…take small steps as I suggested HERE.  Plan week by week and set achievable action plans.  The medicine and the magic of exercise will pay off.  And when it does…you’ll feel awesome!  So walk, run, swim, dance, or lift.  It doesn’t matter.

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Exercise is medicine!  Just move and get your dose!

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*Note – I realize that I’m probably preaching to the choir here (or at least a lot of you) so please share this with those who need to hear it via Facebook, Twitter, email, or whatever method you can.*

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