"Exercise has benefits beyond physical fitness. Regular exercise significantly reduces all causes of morality by up to 30%..."
exercise
I am passionate about movement and have participated in a multitude of sports, some with more success than others. For me, learning new motor patterns and challenging my body is one way that I keep my mental sanity. Understanding the unique demands that different sports and movements place on the body help me formulate my movement and mobility teaching.
Sarcopenia and low done mineral density play very big roles in accelerated frailty and reduced capacity to recover from illness or injury. Without targeted intervention strategies, muscle mass is lost at a rate of 1% per year from our early thirties. This can mean a staggering 20% loss in lean body mass by the age of 50. Yet so few people over 50 participate in strength and conditioning.
Broadly speaking, exercise can be defined in terms of aerobic fitness, anaerobic fitness, muscle endurance, muscle strength, joint mobility and balance. Aerobic cardiovascular fitness allows for many hours at lower intensity. This allows you to walk comfortably for 18 holes of golf or ski all day. Lately, this is receiving much attention as Zone-2 cardio training. Anaerobic fitness is at the other end of the spectrum, Zone-5. A few rounds of very intense output aim to get the heart rate at maximum for a few seconds. Fortunately, you do not need to this more than twice per week. Bone mineral density is addressed by lifting heavy weights. Muscle strength and joint mobility translates to everyday functional needs: picking up your 20kg suitcase, reaching above your head for items on the higher shelves, carrying two bags of groceries for two blocks.
Exercise is a stressor – it ramps up our sympathetic nervous system, the fight, flight and freeze response and help us deal with stressful events. This is not necessarily a bad thing. However, it is important to bring the nervous system back to a calmer state before we leave the gym. This sets the tone for the rest of the day and help us be in a better position to deal with daily life. A short recovery breathwork protocol emphasising downregulation principles is designed to upregulate the parasympathetic (rest and digest) state.
Exercise has benefits beyond physical fitness. Regular exercise significantly reduces all causes of mortality by up to 30% and lower the prevalence of chronic disease. Exercise directly impacts our mood through the release of endorphins, serotonin and noradrenaline. It reduces pain through endogenous release of cannabinoids. The benefits of exercise are well recognised in anxiety and depression treatment and prevention. Other benefits include better sleep, stress reduction, sense of well-being, slower age-related memory and cognitive decline.
Estelle can help you identify missing components in your exercise and guide you to find the best practices to suit your needs.
Your age or injury is not a limitation to participate in exercise.