The Importance of Daily Exercise
Last week we had Dr. Jordan Metzl at The Ranch talking about his experiences with Iron Man and the importance of daily exercise. His talk was enlightening to say the least. Personally, I’ve always known how important nutrition is and although I do workout, I never knew just how essential it is for preventing disease. However, after his talk, I’m making it my goal to get in some sort of exercise every day. Here’s why:
Dr. Jordan Metzl mentioned that by the time most people in the U.S. have reached 80 years old, they are on eight different medications. And those medications can have side effects that shouldn’t be ignored. His argument is that the best medication is daily intensive exercise. Why? Because exercise treats and prevents disease. It works for cardiac, pulmonary, endocrine, neurological, and orthopedic disorders. It also fights against cancer, not to mention lengthens your life.
The goal for a long life is to live young as long as you can. During his talk he showed photos of 70 and 80 year olds competing in Iron Man. It was inspirational to say the least. Old age doesn’t have to mean giving up. The proof is in the pudding!
Another quote that he used is rest=decay. That one spoke to me. That’s the one that is making realize just how important moving around is. We live in a sedentary world nowadays so it’s especially important to make that extra effort to get moving!
So what exactly does “get moving” entail? Well, Dr. Jordan Metzl suggests at least 30 to 40 minutes a day of high intensity activity, and getting your heart rate up to the point where you’re huffing and puffing. He even mentioned walking (a favorite exercise of mine), but warned to make sure that it’s brisk, saying that a faster walking speed will make you live longer. So the underlying theme here is exercise that will get your heart pumping.
It was a really inspiring talk with lots of stats backing up his theory on exercise. And actually, it’s not really a theory, it’s what our bodies are made to do, right?
