The importance of movement remains paramount.
The importance of movement remains paramount. I once heard a statement from Johnny Gillespie, founder of balanced athlete and owner of Empowered Wellness in Wilmington, DE that each exercise session is like a small dose of paxil. Interestingly, I read a similar statement made by John Ratey speaking at MIT Lab’s advancing wellbeing seminar series reporting that “a bout of exercise is like taking a little bit of prozac and a little bit of ritalin”. Many studies have shown that physical activity can reverse at least some of the unwanted effects of sedentary lifestyle, and can also contribute in delaying brain aging and degenerative pathologies such as Alzheimer’s Disease, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. Most importantly, PA improves cognitive processes and memory, has analgesic and antidepressant effects, and even induces a sense of wellbeing. This review discusses potential mechanisms underlying the effects of physical activity on brain health, focusing on hormones, neurotrophins, and neurotransmitters, the release of which is changed by physical activity, as well as on the intra- and extra-cellular pathways that regulate the expression of some of the genes involved.
There is no question that movement and exercise is paramount to stave off disease.
Jason & Rita
