Anti Inflammatory Exercise to Reduce Whole Body Inflammation

The Exercise and Body Inflammation Relationship

Gene Smart makes the connection between anti inflammatory exercise and whole body inflammation.  On the Health Flex's Optimal Health plan you'll exercise at least 5 days a week, for at least 30 minutes. Start by trying to achieve 50-75% of the Maximum Heart rate for your age.  You may need to do intervals at first to get enough quality exercise. As you get in shape, increase your working heart rate to 70-85% of maximum, with two days of aerobic exercise (walking, running, elliptical) and three days of resistance/ circuit training: aerobic exercise to warm up and cool down, combined with a resistant, weight-training program designed to work 8-10 muscle groups. By making the exercise and inflammation connection, this approach has been shown to markedly reduce inflammatory messengers and whole body inflammation.

Health Flex Principle: Exercise to Reduce Whole Body Inflammation

In the Health Flex Program, the leading reason to exercise is to reduce whole body inflammation. That’s right; there is a  strong connection between exercise and whole body inflammation, if done the right way. The data on the association between exercise and inflammation are far more positive and conclusive than for exercise and weight loss.

Observational studies reveal that you’re 47 percent less likely to have elevated levels of the inflammatory messenger C-reactive protein (CRP) if you exercise regularly, compared to being sedentary. CRP is a marker of whole body inflammation. Fitness is a separate and independent factor in regulating chronic low-grade inflammation (whole body inflammation). An interventional study conducted by researchers at Louisiana State University demonstrated that aerobic and resistance training very similar to the exercise approach in the Health Flex Program reduced CRP levels in both old and young participants by 50 to 60 percent. These are huge effects on whole body inflammation and are further evidence of the relationship between exercise and inflammation.

Shifting the Fitness Paradigm: Whole Body Inflammation vs. Weight Loss

Exercising to Reduce Whole Body Inflammation vs. Exercising to Lose Weight

The primary role of exercise in the Health Flex Program is its role in reducing whole body inflammation. It’s not that you can’t lose weight by exercising.  You can.  The weight-loss equation boils down to burning more calories than you take in, and exercise is a way to burn calories. But it’s a pretty inefficient system, and sets up a lot of people for failure.

Think of it this way: To burn 100 calories, you’d have to bike at 5 miles per hour for 32 minutes, walk at 3 miles per hour for 23 minutes, swim slowly for 20 minutes, or engage in vigorous aerobic activity for 10 minutes. That’s a lot of work! By comparison, it’s easy to consume 100 calories; you can do it in the blink of an eye. Just eat one medium-size banana, one medium-to-large apple, or 1 ounce of American cheese. One cup of sweet tea or a cookie, and—calorically speaking—you might as well have skipped your bike ride altogether.

Not to mention that when you exercise a lot, your body compensates with mechanisms to maintain your current weight. For example, it naturally decreases your non-exercise-induced energy expenditure—that is, the calories you burn just engaging in normal activities of daily living, like sitting at your desk. 

Exercise and Inflammation: What You'll Need for Your Health Flex Work Outs

Don’t tell the athletic gear companies, but you really don’t need too many accessories to get a good workout designed to reduce whole body inflammation. You’ll need some way to get your heart rate up—whether that’s the elliptical machine at the gym or the hill outside your door (both work equally well)—and you’ll need some hand weights. The type of mat used for yoga and Pilates can also be helpful if you like a little padding when you stretch. An exercise ball and exercise bands are helpful as well.  A heart rate monitor will help you know when you are exercising at your target heart rate (see table below

And while a fancy outfit isn’t necessary, we strongly recommend that you invest in good-quality, properly-fitted sneakers.

Weekly Plan Overview - Exercise to Reduce Whole Body Inflammation

 Target Heart Rate Zones

List of Aerobic Exercises - Moderate

List of Aerobic Exercises - More Vigorous

Getting Started - Exercise to Reduce Whole Body Inflammation

Learn to get started with a fitness program designed to make the connection between exercise and inflammation in order to reduce whole body inflammation.