We hear this all the time, don’t we? Exercise 3 to 5 days a week to keep your body healthy. Well, it turns out that exercise has many benefits for the mind as well as the body. Time Magazine’s Mandy Oaklander published an article called “The New Science of Exercise,” which focuses on genetic metabolic neurologist named Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky. He describes the positive effect of exercise on the human body and how exercise can truly be a leading medicine for people of all ages.
Dr. Tarnopolsky conducted an experiment in 2011 which involved mice with a genetic disease that was causing them to age prematurely. The results were shocking to say the least. This 5 month experiment split the mice into two groups where 1 group lived a sedentary lifestyle and the other group was prescribed exercise 3 times a week on a treadmill. At the conclusion of the study, the sedentary mice had fur that “had grown coarse and gray, muscles shriveled, hearts weakened, skin thinned-even the mice’s hearing got worse” (Oaklander). On the other hand, the active mice had coats that were “sleek and black, they ran around their cages, they could even reproduce”(Oaklander).
Even though this study was completed on rodents, there are obviously applications for humans. Running and strength exercises can improve skin health, eye health, and even your reproductive health, according to Tarnopolsky. He also states that a sedentary lifestyles puts people at higher risk for many different forms of cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and early death.
Tarnopolsky and other experts know the true scientific benefits of exercise which they consider real, measurable, and almost immediate: slower aging, better mood, less chronic pain, stronger vision, and much more. Continue reading “Exercise Works like a Miracle Drug!”