Dr. Al Danenberg ● Nutritional Periodontist
October 29, 2018
Your gut and your health are dependent on you moving your body. Even your dental health is indirectly affected by healthy exercise. Two recent medical articles are clear. If you want to get healthy and stay healthy, you need to move your body. If you don’t get moving, your health will suffer. So, get moving or else.
Study 1
This new study published on October 19, 2018[1] shows that a sedentary lifestyle is worse for your health than smoking, diabetes, and heart disease combined. That is a powerful statement!
The researchers determined that the risk of death is 500% higher for those with a sedentary lifestyle compared to the top exercise performers in this study of 122,007 patients. Dr. Wael Jaber, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic and senior author of this study, stated: “If you compare the risk of sitting versus the highest performing on the exercise test, the risk is about three times higher than smoking,”
Study 2
In another study published on October 3, 2018[2], the investigators found that endurance exercise improved the composition of the gut microbiome. The study looked at 17 women who were selected because they lived a sedentary lifestyle and were overweight. Following six weeks of training, the subjects’ gut bacteria were evaluated. The researchers found a decrease in potentially inflammatory bacteria and an increase in specific bacteria that are responsible for improved metabolism.
The health of the gut is critical for the health of the body. I discussed the importance of the gut in many of my past articles. I wrote a paper titled Big Bang Theory of Chronic Disease, which was published in-part in the March/April 2018 issue of Well Being Journal. In my article, I focused on the gut and its pivotal role in the development and prevention of chronic diseases.
So, what should you do if you want to be proactive?
Efficient Exercise
Start moving your body.
While exercise is a critical element for health, it needs to be efficient. Over-exercising and improper exercising can be as detrimental to health as a sedentary lifestyle. Efficient exercise produces maximum effects with minimum wasted effort or expense.
An efficient exercise program should consist of a combination of these movements:
- Standing rather than sitting
- Simple movement like walking daily
- Aerobic activity like playing tennis or jogging a few times a week
- Full-body weight training like squats, pushups, pull ups, and planks twice a week
- A short but intensive anaerobic activity once every 7-10 days
Interestingly, here is a simple, daily routine that would go a long way in providing an efficient exercise program for the average person. It only takes 4 minutes. Incorporate this workout along with walking and standing (rather than sitting), and you will have a well-designed routine.
4-Minute Workout
Zach Bush, MD is a triple board-certified physician. His credentials include board-certification in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism, and Hospice/Palliative care. He has perfected an intensive routine that requires no equipment and can be performed anywhere at any time. Dr. Bush calls his routine the 4-Minute Workout and can be performed several times a day.
One major benefit of this workout is that it stimulates the release of nitric oxide (NO). NO is stored in the endothelial cells of blood vessels and is released after performing this routine. Nitric oxide effectively:
- Causes blood vessels to relax and dilate, lowering blood pressure
- Stimulates and improves immune function
- Decreases the viscosity of blood, reducing platelet aggregation and the potential for stroke or heart attack
- Provides anabolic stimulus to increases lean body mass
- Helps prevent gum disease[3]
You can find Dr. Zach Bush’s video demonstrating his simple routine on YouTube. Go to www.youtube.com and search for “Zach Bush MD 4 Minute Workout”.
Bottom Line
It’s never too late to start an efficient exercise program, unless you are medically compromised. If you have medical concerns, be sure to pass this by your medical doctor before starting your exercise regimen.
[1] Mandsager K, Harb S, Cremer P, Phelan D, Nissen SE, Jaber W. Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness With Long-term Mortality Among Adults Undergoing Exercise Treadmill Testing. JAMA Network Open. 2018;1(6):e183605. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.3605
[2] Eveliina Munukka, Juha P. Ahtiainen, Pere Puigbó, Sirpa Jalkanen, Katja Pahkala, Anniina Keskitalo, Urho M. Kujala, Sami Pietilä, Maija Hollmén, Laura Elo, Pentti Huovinen, Giuseppe D’Auria, Satu Pekkala. Six-Week Endurance Exercise Alters Gut Metagenome That Is not Reflected in Systemic Metabolism in Over-weight Women. Frontiers in Microbiology, 2018; 9 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02323
[3] Jockel-Schneider Y, Goßner SK, Petersen N, Stölzel P, Hägele F, Schweiggert RM, Haubitz I, Eigenthaler M, Carle R, Schlagenhauf U. Stimulation of the nitrate-nitrite-NO-metabolism by repeated lettuce juice consumption decreases gingival inflammation in periodontal recall patients: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Clin Periodontol. 2016 Jul;43(7):603-8. doi: 10.1111/jcpe.12542. Epub 2016 May 10.
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