HEALTHY LIVING
Exercise and the immune system By Nik Buchman, MedX’s Fitness Manager For the Trail-Gazette
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Courtesy photo / MedX
Nik Buchman, MedX’s fitness manager, says he’s “bringing fitness back into people’s lives”
his year has seemed like a rollercoaster ride that hits you with twists and turns every other week. The pandemic has probably been one of the most disruptive events of our lifetime. Now more than ever, it is important to maintain good overall physical and mental health when consistency and access are so limited. One of the best ways to do this is to get enough exercise throughout the week. As the weather gets colder, the simple outdoor fixes to staying active will disappear, but the body needs to continue to move in order to main-
tain optimal health. Exercise alone reduces the risks of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, blood pressure, depression, anxiety and so on. While those are all great reasons to exercise, these times of illness make the positive influence of exercise on immune system health even more relevant. Moderate exercise of less than an hour a day has been shown to improve our body’s immune response as well as lower our risk for illnesses and overall inflammation. A 2019 review from The Journal of Sport and Health Sci-
ence highlighted how when the body performs moderate to vigorous exercise, it increases the amount of immune cells that are circulating in the blood. Immune cells are important for fighting off foreign bodies and diseases inside of our body. While this immediate response is great, consistency when exercising is most important to maintain this elevated immune response. The expert researcher of the study, David Niemann, compared this concept to hiring a housekeeper to clean our house one time. It would look great right after, but eventually fall into disarray again. If that housekeeper was to clean on a regular See EXERCISE, pg. 18
Think the golden years aren’t golden? Think again.
Top 10 reasons being older is better 10. Young people learn from your wisdom. 9. Embarrassment is no longer a concern. 8. Having common sense. 7. You don’t need to do the dumb things you had to do when you were young, like worry about what people think. 6. You can get fatter and you don’t care. 5. Life teaches you the things you need to know. 4. Naps anytime. 3. No work, school, or alarm clocks. 2. Senior discounts! 1. People are friendlier when you have gray hair!
LIVE WELL ESTES | FALL EDITION • 9
