Exercise

As a Behavior Modification Instructor, all I had to do to see noses tip toward the ceiling and eyes roll sideways was to mention the word exercise. Exercise is considered by many to be synonymous with WORK. However, avoiding exercise isn't an option in life. Why not? Because it is necessary for oxygenating your body's cells. Without oxygen, your body's cells are depleted of energy, your immune system fails to function correctly, and you end up in pain with a flat rear end.

If you dislike exercising, I understand. The key to exercising regularly is to perform exercises that you see or feel an immediate benefit from. If you don't feel any better or see any improvement, you won't continue to do it. And why should you? If there's no lift from brain fog, no improved energy, or no evidence of muscle tone, why on Earth would you continue to do something you didn't want to do in the first place?

Thankfully, there are four types of exercise to choose from. You can experiment with them to see which one works best for you. Then make it your "play" time or your special "ritual". However, first, I want to discuss the purpose of exercise, which is a relatively recent pursuit in human history. You see, we didn't have to exercise when we were running from dinosaurs and gathering food in nature. It's only been since the industrial age that people have stopped moving as much and require planned movement.

Heart & Core Exercises Take Priority

Exercise should focus on your heart and core. Your objective should be to exercise your heart and tone your trunk for balance, strength, and agility (think mermaid). You may not have to swim to wherever you need to go, but your core still gets you to your driveway and back.

The two types of exercise we all need are aerobic exercise (which oxygenates and burns fat) and resistance exercise (which tones muscles), including Isometrics.

There are four primary motions your body needs to maintain muscle shape: pushing, pulling, lifting, and squatting. Keep these four moves in mind when choosing your exercise routines. The muscle groups you use in these four motions can still be toned with isometric exercises (see below), even with limited joint movement.

The best exercise for anyone suffering from musculoskeletal pain is gentle stretching.

Yoga is the best exercise for reducing stress and boosting the immune system. Poses to incorporate into your routine for boosting your immunity include Mountain Pose, Standing Forward Bend, Forward Folded Arch, Lunge, Plank Pose, Yoga Push-Up, Upward-Facing Dog, Downward-Facing Dog, and Prayer Position. However, even with yoga, specific rules apply when you feel under the weather. Yoga increases GABA in the brain, which calms your inner fish (there's that mermaid again).

The Four Types of Exercise to Choose From

#1. Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic (breathing and fat-burning) exercise increases blood flow and oxygen to every part of your body, toning the heart muscle —precisely what you need to alleviate pain. Much of what we experience as pain is often caused by insufficient oxygen and blood flow to the affected area.

Walking, running, and dancing are forms of aerobic exercise. The general idea is to perform the task and keep your heart rate elevated for at least 20 minutes without stopping. For this reason, it's beneficial to have a target heart rate in mind. You don't have to calculate your heart rate, but knowing it helps you determine if you're getting the benefits from the exercise you're performing. To calculate your target heart rate, subtract your age from 220. Then, to find the lower end of your THR, multiply your answer by 6. To see the upper end of your THR, multiply your answer by 8.

Example:

220 - 60 (years of age) = 160
160 x .6 = 96
160 x .8 = 128

This individual must maintain a heart rate between 96 and 128 beats per minute while exercising.

To determine your heart rate per minute while exercising, stop what you're doing for a minute and count the number of heartbeats you feel in your wrist, right below your left thumb, for 15 seconds. Then, multiply by 4 to find your heart rate. If your number is lower than your lower THR, pick up the pace. If your number is higher than your THR, slow down. You are hurting yourself.

To Check Your Performance Without Checking Your THR

Now, I'm not sure about you, but I don't want to keep stopping to check my heart rate while exercising, so here's a helpful tip. Speed up your walking if you can carry on a conversation as easily as if you were sitting on a park bench talking to a friend. But when you're having difficulty speaking and huffing and puffing, slow things down. You want to be somewhere in the middle. If you're unsure, double-check your numbers to ensure accuracy.

Walking

The one exercise that will work for just about anyone is walking. Walking increases oxygen and boosts immunity, but not just any walking will do. Strolling along while breathing normally won't oxygenate all of your cells. Save that for engaging with nature. You need to get your heart going. You'll need to walk briskly, but if you're new to exercising, you'll need an easy walking plan to get you started.

An Easy Walking Plan for Beginners

Week 1 & 2: 5 minutes per day x 2-3 days
Week 3 & 4: 5 minutes x 3-5 days
Week 5 & 6: 5 minutes x 6-7 days
Weeks 7: 10 minutes x 5-7 days
Weeks 8: 15 minutes x 5-7 days
Weeks 9: 20 minutes x 5-7 days
Weeks 10: 25 minutes x 5-7 days
Weeks 11: 30 minutes x 7 days

Gradually increase your walking time each week until you walk for up to an hour daily. If you ever experience setbacks (such as being sick or on holiday), start at the walking level you reached when you last walked.

A Walking Tip: When you combine walking with being outdoors in the fresh air and sunlight, you'll receive a daily dose of vitamin D, which is more beneficial than walking on a treadmill in a stuffy gym. If you walk on a treadmill at home, place it near an open, sunny window and let the sun shine on you as you walk (as long as it's not too hot).

#2. Resistance Exercise

Resistance exercise involves controlled muscle movements to increase muscle tone. Typically, weights or bands are used in these exercises. Use exercise bands or very light weights (2-5 lbs), but only after you can manage basic stretches in the same body positions without the bands and with no discomfort. Perform full-body resistance exercises only twice per week. Instead of two full-body workouts, you can break up your routine into four days by doing upper-body exercises twice a week and lower-body exercises twice a week. Just ensure you rotate your workouts (upper body one day, lower the next, and so on). Seek out a book on strength training from your library or bookstore. Then, choose at least two exercises for each muscle group. Avoid eliminating a muscle group from your routine, as this can lead to muscle imbalances. Remember to start with light weights (2-3 pounds), regardless of the book's suggestion. Then, move on to 5-pound or 8-pound weights when ready. I don't recommend heavier weights than these. If you are comfortable with 8-10 pound weights, rather than increasing the weight, consider increasing your repetitions (the number of times you lift it) instead.

#3. Calinetics & Isometrics

Callisthenics and Isometrics are exercises that utilize muscle against muscle resistance. Isometrics is an excellent choice for individuals with arthritic conditions or joint injuries. When using muscle against muscle, start slowly. You want to focus on tensing and releasing a particular muscle group, then resting before moving on to the next group. For example, let's say you want more muscular biceps. Sit straight up in a perfect posture, bend your elbows at your sides, as if holding a rolled-up rug, palms up. Now curl your fingers closed (make a loose fist). Keep your elbows at waist level. Now slowly pull your fist towards your chest. Tighten up your upper arms and give a squeeze that lasts 10 seconds. Then, completely relax. Lower your arms. You shouldn't be feeling it in your shoulder. Focus on the biceps and your upper arm muscles.

Start with no more than 10 seconds of muscle tensing in each muscle group you exercise. You can perform this isometric exercise with every muscle group (arms, legs, abdomen). Add five more seconds each week until you can hold the muscle group tense for 25 seconds before relaxing.

If you experience any pain, stop or relax your tension. Once you can follow through with your exercises without causing yourself any damage, consider another method to stay in shape: using 10-minute segments.

Another type of exercise that's closely related to isometrics is Fascia Stretching. Fascia is what holds your muscles in place and helps to keep you upright. It plays a role in the transfer of electrical energy and water within the body's cells. When fascia becomes tense, it can grip and wrap around bones to stabilize the body, which can cause adhesions (tightness and scarring of the fascia) and lead to pain. People with fascia problems often experience Myofascial Pain Syndrome. Consider the Two-Week Fascia Miracle program at DailyOm.com.

#4. Interval or Circuit Training

Have you ever watched children at play? Children walk, run like mad, then walk again, or plop down for a rest at different intervals. A few minutes later, they run like crazy again for 20-30 seconds, only to slow down again. Kids do this all day long, and so do young adults. Short, intense bursts of energy that last 20-30 seconds keep the body's metabolism revved up and growth hormones in abundance, a phenomenon known as peaking. It's also more reminiscent of how our ancestors lived and survived.

If you are really out of shape or haven't exercised in a while, wait to do this until you have followed the other guidelines on this web page and they have become easy for you. Then, and only then, do your warm-up routine, walk for 5 minutes at a brisk pace, sprint for 20-30 seconds, walk for another 5 minutes, and finish up with your cool-down stretches. Walking 3 times daily for 10 minutes each time is better than walking 30 minutes at your target heart rate. Work up to performing eight of these segments, but no more.

Exercising for Weight Loss

Aerobic exercise is the type of exercise that burns fat. When you exercise aerobically, your heart rate speeds up, and your metabolism speeds up over the next 24 hours. Your body will burn more calories for 24 hours after exercise. Weight loss also depends on what you eat, but it's not just about calories in and calories out. Where your calories come from and, even more importantly, what you absorb, help to determine whether you will see the pounds drop off (see Weight Management). If you have gut imbalances (i.e., insufficient healthy gut bacteria), you may continue to struggle to lose weight.

Exercise Precautions for When You're Under the Weather

Exercising too much too soon, when your immune system is actively combating an illness, can be exhausting to an immune system already fighting a battle. It can cause immune suppression, the spread of infection, or worsening current symptoms. Exercising too hard and too long will also harm your hormones.

If you have a mild illness or infection above the waist (such as a cold or cold sore), you can still engage in moderate exercise, such as light yoga or walking. If your symptoms are moderate to severe, it is best to avoid exercising altogether.

If you have an illness below the waist, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a Crohn's flare-up, or genital herpes, your immune system works very hard. Please don't overdo it. It's best to postpone exercising until you are on the mend. Be more moderate than usual when you resume exercise.

Exercise for Seniors and Arthritic Conditions

There are specific exercises that are better suited for seniors (like me) or those with arthritic conditions or chronic pain.

Walking
Swimming
Tai Chi
Chair exercises, such as Chair Yoga
Fascia stretching

Okay Pain & Not Okay Pain

During exercise, pain can feel like a slow burn (caused by lactic acid buildup in the muscles), which subsides as soon as the movement ceases and is tolerable. Another source of pain is delayed muscle soreness. The ache you feel the next day indicates that your muscles are recovering from the taxing activity, which is a normal response to the exertion. Actual pain on movement is NOT OKAY. Sharp pain, or any other extremely uncomfortable pain, might be caused by a previous injury or damage. The best exercise for this type of pain would be isometrics. Isometric movements are slow and controlled. Still, please consult your doctor if the pain persists or worsens. You can learn more about how to ease different types of pain here.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy can be more like "supplementing" your life with something good for you that you can recover quite easily from and still see benefits, such as strength and endurance. If you've experienced an injury or poor reactions to exercise (such as pain, hives, panic, or difficulty recovering), consider incorporating physical therapy exercises instead to keep your muscles active and strong. I enjoy Dr. Adam Fields on YouTube. However, there are many others to choose from. Once you gain some strength and your symptoms subside, you can move on to other forms of exercise.

Trouble With Muscle Loss, Weak Muscles, or Muscle Recovery?

If you have trouble with fatigue, muscle loss, and the inability to recover from exercise quickly, you could have a mitochondrial problem. Life isn't possible without mitochondria. Mitochondria are parts of the billions of cells in your body that evolved from primitive bacteria and are like tiny batteries that power various functions of a whole cell. The energy source in these batteries is ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is measured in watts.

The human body constantly produces and uses ATP (approximately 1,200 watts per day). However, a lack of regular movement contributes to conditions and diseases that prevent mitochondria from generating or utilizing ATP, leading to low energy and physical symptoms, such as those associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia Syndrome, and chronic pain and headaches. You'll find holistic alternatives for these conditions here.

So, how do you keep mitochondria flourishing? A healthy diet of whole foods (to reduce inflammation) and regular exercise. The best exercises for maintaining and restoring mitochondrial function are qigong, yoga, and squats, which use the largest leg muscles. You can also eat foods that help calm the brain and aid mitochondrial healing.

Exercise & HSV

As great as exercise is for us, and as much as we all need it, it can bring on a herpes breakout. How's that, you ask? You can activate the Herpes Simplex Virus by stimulating nerve ganglia.

Imagine performing a sit-up to work your abdominal muscles. From a lying position, with your arms crossed behind your head (perhaps while your partner or sofa holds your feet), you lift yourself into a sitting position using your abdominal muscles. Imagine maintaining this position for a few seconds and slowly lowering to the floor to repeat the exercise after a second or two. If you have genital herpes, pressure on the lower spine can irritate the nerve ganglia, causing inflammation and potentially leading to the reactivation of the virus.

When you live with HSV-2 (genital herpes), it's typically best to avoid performing activities that apply too much pressure to your lower spine and tailbone. Instead, do reverse crunches, pelvic floor exercises, swimming, yoga, dancing, and walking to tone the abdominal muscles.

If you live with HSV-1 (cold sores), activities that severely strain the face, neck, or throat, such as lifting heavy weights, may also trigger an outbreak. HSV-1 lives in the nerve ganglia in the mid-section of the side of the face (the trigeminal ganglion). Consider using less weight and more reps if you notice that your upper-body workouts are causing your outbreaks.

The good news is that the stronger you become, the better your muscles will support your nerves. Still, there's always the chance of reactivating the herpes virus if you excessively strain your nerve ganglia while working out.

Exercise & Histamine Intolerance

If you have Mast Cell Activation Dysfunction or Histamine Intolerance, exercise can trigger problems for you. During exercise, your body can respond to muscular inflammation, which can increase body temperature. This causes mast cells to release histamine, which is why some people experience an allergic reaction to exercise.

Problems with mast cell activation and histamine release also cause delayed muscle soreness after working out. Therefore, allowing more than 48 hours of recovery time between exercises can help prevent overexertion.

Avoiding eating right before and right after exercising can also be beneficial for individuals with histamine issues. Or, at least, avoid foods that contain histamine or are histamine liberators.

So, what's the best exercise type for someone with histamine intolerance? Walking, yoga, and light resistance exercises.