The Perfect Machine...

During childhood we produce cells at an accelerated pace as we are growing and require “more of us” to be created.  After we reach maturity, that part of our metabolism slows down.  There is a slower turnover and the production of new cells eventually slows down and comes to a halt.  That’s what happens with aging.  However, there is a way to greatly delay and often reverse the aforementioned aging mechanism.

 

The earlier you start, the more you maintain and improve what you’ve got, but it’s never too late to rejuvenate.

Studies have shown that only 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week for 3 months, resulted in an 80% improvement in mobility for seniors who previously led sedentary lifestyles.  If such notable progress can be observed among mature demographics, it becomes obvious that even greater rewards await those who begin a maintenance routine earlier in life. 

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People age badly, not because of time, but because of lack of Knowledge and Will Power.  As mentioned earlier, the body is a perfect machine, programmed to regenerate under stress. 

 

As an example, think about the mechanism of bone repair in the event of a fracture.  The skeletal structure has a built in mechanism of bone-forming cells known as osteoblasts. When a bone breaks, the body not only repairs the fracture, it actually recreates a thicker bone in the damaged area. 

 

If you get a cut on your skin, the body repairs the puncture and forms a thicker skin (scar tissue) in the area of the injury.  A good example is the common treatment of aging skin through the use of laser. The laser beam destroys the epidermis and heats the dermis, stimulating the production of new collagen.

 

These are examples of how the body regenerates after trauma. 

 

The same mechanism applies to exercise.  A regular routine which incorporates cardiovascular stimulation, weight bearing exercises and stretching is the fountain of youth, because when we exercise, we break down our bodies and create microscopic tears which get repaired while we sleep. Following the necessary rest and the nocturnal work of the metabolism and hormones during the sleep cycle, the body bounces back as stronger structure, more toned and shaped. 

 

In the case of muscle toning or muscle building, the effort put forth during contractions fills the vascular system with excess blood.  As the veins and capillaries push through the muscle fiber like tiny microscopic needles, the muscle fibers develop microscopic tears, and the body responds with the same mechanism it would if it got a larger injury, such as a stab wound or a cut.  Extra cells are produced once again at a higher rate, not because you are in the growth cycle of childhood,  but rather because you are restoring yourself.   Thus, the metabolism is tricked into maintaining a higher production of hormones and regenerating material, irrespective of the age of the body.

 

The same mechanism applies to bone density.  The rubbing of muscles on the surface of the bones, as well as the impact of weight lifting or weight bearing, stresses the bone mass, causing microscopic irritations and breakage, thus recruiting the osteoclasts to produce more bone in order to fix the microscopic damage.  When maturing women are advised to lift weights in order to maintain bone density, it is because strength training triggers this mechanism of regeneration.  On many occasions, women who are not well versed in physical fitness, will express concern about getting too big or too muscular.  This is myth and a total misconception.  Women who lift weights don’t develop into bodybuilders.  Bodybuilders have to work extremely hard to gain muscle, in addition to consuming large quantities of food, as well as a variety of supplements and hormones.  If you’re just looking to optimize your physique and be healthy, lifting moderate to heavy weights will strengthen your body, tone it, sculpt it and lean it out.

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It is no wonder that Sloth is one of the Deadly Sins.  Inactivity leas to decay and decay leads to disease and death. Without stimulation of the body’s primary purpose (which is hunting and gathering),  without emulating those ancestral activities, even the most genetically gifted physique will deteriorate.  The movements we perform during exercise are meant to replace the natural activities of our ancestors.  We may not run after the mammoth or flee from the saber tooth tiger, we may not hunt them, drag them, skin them or eat them, but our bodies still require the movements linked to those evolutionary activities which led us from our early ancestors to today’s Modern Man.  In a nutshell, the exercises you perform at the gym replace a good climb, a good hunt or a good pursuit.  In addition to the necessary microscopic breakdown of the body brought on by effort and exertion, physical activity speeds up the metabolism.  Healthy tissue throughout the body receives improved blood flow,  nutrients and oxygen while defective cells are the first to undergo catabolism, which is defined as “ the breakdown of complex molecules in living organisms to form simpler ones, together with the release of energy; destructive metabolism.”  As defective or “weak” tissue gets burned up first, there is a systemic detoxification.  There's no argument against the scientific evidence that physical exercise regenerates and rejuvenates the organism while keeping the various organ systems in homeostasis.