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For many people, starting an exercise program can be challenging in many ways. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to spend more time highlighting the importance of getting started (if you have not already done so) so you can live out the last half or third of your life like you never thought possible.
Once you get started there's something to keep in mind so it doesn't become discouraging.
Your body changes in fascinating ways when you first start moving.
Your heart races, your breath rate increases, and your muscles begin to move.
These rapid changes occur from the lungs to the brain, preparing the body for exercise and the long-lasting health benefits that go along with it.
Imagine you’re a rocket getting ready to launch into space.
As the engines begin to fire up, there’s a massive amount of fuel and energy being burned just before lift-off.
It is the most challenging part of the launch to get thousands of pounds to move against gravity into space.
The first 10 minutes of the launch are the most critical. All systems are firing at max capacity to get the rocket out of the atmosphere and into space where it can coast.
Your body works in a very similar way.
Here’s what’s happening to the different systems in your body as you get ready for lift-off.
Your heart rate begins to increase just thinking about exercise. This is called the anticipatory increase which is driven by the stress hormone norepinephrine. It’s a catalyst for priming the body for movement.
As you begin to move this process shifts into high gear as norepinephrine increases your heart rate, and your blood vessels begin to constrict, which increases your blood pressure (especially systolic, for example, that is the first number in a 120 over 80 reading ) to deliver nutrients to the working muscle muscles.
If you’re new to exercise, this can feel very stressful and uncomfortable. For those who are more experienced and regularly exercise, this happens efficiently as their body becomes used to internal stress.
Blood is then directed where it is needed the most. The body is very efficient and will divert blood away from the organs that might not need a big supply such as the stomach and intestines and push more to your muscles making sure they have enough oxygen and glucose to keep working.
They are jumpstarted into action by the nervous system, which begins to send signals to groups of muscle fiber-inducing movement.
This is a big metabolic response during the initial phase of the exercise where phosphocreatine (pc) stores produced the initial thrust of energy during the first 10 seconds of movement.
As muscles require more oxygen, your breathing rate increases, and your diaphragm and rib cage contract to pump up to 15 times more oxygen than when you’re at rest.
It’s not just your body that wakes up, exercise supercharges your mind.
The first few minutes are called the priming stage when everything is elevated to help muscles, heart rate, breath rate, and blood flow increase. At the same time, oxygen and nutrients are shutter to the brain to increase focus and attention
The brain grows new connections, and neurons during exercise and makes it more adaptable to learning new tasks. This is called Neuroplasticity.
These new neurons are formulated around the HIPAA campus, which is responsible for sharper memory.
This is one of the primary reasons why the best defense against dementia is a lifelong habit of exercise.
Anxiety may increase due to the body's stress response to the initial burst of adrenaline when you start exercising. Once someone settles into a routine, the calming effect takes over as new endorphins kick in to improve mood and reduce stress.
Everyone will respond differently, that’s why it’s important to ease into your routine and listen to your body.
As all these systems begin to fire at the start of exercise, there are chemical reactions that produce a lot of waste. Your body has to deal with this waste very quickly or it will become toxic.
Someone who is new to exercise or tries to push too hard their bodies can't get rid of the waste fast enough, and it could make them feel sick. After a few weeks, the body becomes very efficient at removing this waste.
Research shows that just 10 minutes of moderate-intensity increases mood, improves sleep, and lowers the risk of death.
Once you can get past that 10-minute threshold, make it a point to exercise at least 6 days per week for the rest of your life. At minimum two days of strength training and three days of cardiovascular work.
Does that sound crazy? I will revisit that craziness later in the coming weeks. :)
The other two days can be a structured recreational sport that gets your heart rate up, such as hiking Pickleball biking, or swimming.
Once you can get passed the first ten minutes, your body settles into the orbit of exercise, you begin to feel the positive effects of flooding your body with a dose of anti-aging fuel, and the rest is history.