The Role of Exercise

Although each individual that comes to Optimal Health Institute will be given an individualized treatment plan, there are two components to the plan that will be recommended for everyone – exercise and nutrition. 

Why is exercise so important? There are quite literally thousands of research studies that show the benefits of exercise. Many people think that because they have a certain diagnosis, they shouldn’t exercise. Sorry, but you can’t use that excuse. Whether you have arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, cancer – whatever the diagnosis – exercise will help you to feel better.

You’re also never too old to exercise. Exercise helps keep your joints moving and your muscles strong. It improves your ability to do daily activities. It increases your energy. And it is an absolutely fundamental part of any attempts to lose weight.

And the benefits of exercise aren’t solely physical. Exercise also has psychological benefits. There are many research studies that have demonstrated improvements in depression and anxiety with regular exercise. Many people complain that they simply don’t have the time to exercise because their lives are so busy. But, the more things you have going on – essentially, the more stressed you are – the more important it is to exercise. Exercise is fundamental to managing stress.

At Optimal Health Institute, we recommend an exercise regimen that combines aerobic exercise with strength training and stretching. Aerobic exercise simply means that you are exercising in a way that requires oxygen.  No, you don’t have to put on spandex and dance around in a gym to get aerobic exercise. Just buy yourself a good pair of walking shoes and start walking. Strength training is essentially exercise that is done to strengthen your muscles. Again, you don’t have to join a gym to do strength-training. You can use nothing more than your own body to build strength (as in pushups and squats), or you can use household objects to help improve your strength (e.g., using cans of vegetables like hand weights). Finally, stretching will help keep your muscles flexible and reduce joint stiffness. It will also increase your range of motion (the normal amount your joints can be moved in certain directions).

To summarize, exercise is a vital component of healthy aging. As part of Your Day at Optimal Health Institute, we will review what you’ve been doing for exercise and develop an exercise plan specific to you. We understand how difficult it can be to make exercise part of your daily routine, and that is why we offer a weekly “Lifestyle Change” Program to help you make the changes in your exercise and nutrition patterns a way of life.