The Plant-Based Power Plan by TJ Waterfall

The Plant-Based Power Plan by TJ Waterfall

Author:TJ Waterfall [Waterfall, TJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780241990766
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2021-01-07T00:00:00+00:00


If you’re still having trouble sleeping, don’t hesitate to speak with your doctor or to find a sleep professional. You may also benefit from recording your sleep in a sleep diary to help you better evaluate common patterns or issues you may see with your sleep or sleeping habits.

MOVEMENT

Exercise is another fundamental pillar of health and wellbeing. The health benefits are countless, and they’re closely intertwined with nutrition, sleep, stress and even social relationships. Of course if you’re an athlete, you probably already do lots of exercise, which is brilliant. But it’s still important to understand just how vital exercise is for our health – both physical and mental – because some studies show that a considerable proportion of athletes dramatically decline their physical activity levels or live sedentary lives after retirement from competitive sports.45, 46

Something else that many of my clients are unaware of is the importance of reducing and breaking up long periods of sedentary activities, which is something even elite-level sportspeople can be prone to. So, even if you are already highly active, learning a little more about the impact of movement could bring further benefits to your overall health and performance.

Let’s first look at how regular exercise can improve our physical health. The evidence is clear: meta-analyses and systematic reviews have found that increased levels of physical activity are associated with significantly reduced risk of the major diseases in the West: cardiovascular disease (including heart attack and stroke), type 2 diabetes, obesity, several cancers and Alzheimer’s disease.47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52 In fact, exercise helps us live longer – it reduces risk of all-cause mortality, which means we’re less likely to die of anything.53 There’s a plethora of other health issues that exercise can either protect or help treat, ranging from chronic pain disorders like fibromyalgia, to protecting bone health and maintaining muscle mass in the elderly.54, 55, 56 Exercise has also been shown to significantly reduce the risk of anxiety, depression and stress.57, 58 Not only that, but for patients who already have clinical anxiety or depression, exercise has been shown to be one of the most effective prescriptions available to help treat these issues.59, 60 Exercising outdoors when possible seems to have the greatest effect for improving wellbeing, so get outside when you can.61

Even in the absence of mental health disorders, exercise can boost positive feelings like happiness, enjoyment and contentment,62 much of which is thanks to the rush of endorphins produced in response to the exercise. These endorphins, like morphine, act on the opiate receptors in our brain to reduce pain and boost feelings of pleasure. We all know the feeling sometimes known as ‘runner’s high’, where we feel almost euphoric both during and for some time after exercise. Physical activity can energize us too – a review of 12 studies showed that exercise can have a protective effect against feelings of low energy and fatigue.63

Finally, from a social aspect, exercise can be a great way of bringing people together in a social environment.



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