It is obvious that if you exercise more, you have a leaner, trimmer body, with less fat storage and better functioning, more developed muscle – this gives us a healthier body composition that also ‘looks’ better.
Body composition is in many the ‘holy grail’ for many – how we look is often (erroneously) used as the measure of how healthy we are; yet if we are healthy, if our cells are all functioning at their best, we will ‘look the part’
Exercise causes an extra environmental demand. The body’s genes respond to this demand (they respond to 'epigenetic signals') and they express in different ways - the result is cells function with healthier, more ‘able’ physiology.
Movement in many forms – be it unstructured ‘play’ or formal exercise is critical – this is why it forms our Vibrant Life Key # 3
The increase of exercise on a human ‘ecosystem’ is such that the leaner muscle mass is metabolically more active, it uses more energy both at rest and in activity – this is measured as having a higher base rate of metabolism than more sedentary people.
This in turn means that because more energy is used by the lean, healthy muscle, less energy remains as ‘excess’ to be stored as fat.
It also seems that because more active people have smaller fat stores, that biochemical changes occur in the fat cells and the body at large that influence how fat is stored and broken down, as well as how much fat is stored (this might be because of increased leptin hormone production).
We know this!
Movement, particularly the right TYPES of movement are a primary factor in dropping excess weight, developing leaner muscle mass, developing strength, agility, balance and power.
Linked to this is the neuroplasticity changes – the signals that cause neural nets in the brain and spinal cord to re-wire, such that they can control these changed tissues in more effective ways.
Chiropractic can be a part of improving these neurological control and coordination mechanisms.
