Ondler 1

Ryan Ondler

Rebecca Goossens

Senior Seminar

12 February 2018

Just Do It

There is a 44-year-old man who lives in DC, MN who has Type 2 diabetes. His diabetes

led to kidney failure, which led to dialysis treatments three times per week while waiting on a

transplant list indefinitely. It also led to a great deal of pain and several other serious

complications, illnesses, and infections, including a partial amputation of his right foot from lack

of circulation when infection from a small puncture set in. Though considered overweight rather

than “obese,” he freely admits that he lived a sedentary lifestyle with a poor diet for too many

years, and that this led to diabetes and its snowball effects. His story alone displays several of

the numerous reasons that regular exercise and a healthy diet should be part of everyone’s daily

life.

On its own, a healthy diet has great benefits, and these are not limited to physical health.

Just generally, people who feel they look better by maintaining a healthy weight through diet,

feel better about themselves overall, though there are always exceptions, of course. There can

also be a more literal effect on people from a healthy diet, though. Numerous studies offer proof

that a healthy diet makes people happier overall, but one found specifically that “on the day’s

young adults ate more fruits and vegetables, they reported feeling calmer, happier and more

energetic than they normally did” (British Journal of Health 785).

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A healthy diet also aids in strengthening bones and every other system in the body.

Calcium from dairy products, vitamin D, and folic acid from greens like spinach and kale

support the skeleton, preventing osteoporosis and fractures throughout life. Iron, potassium, and

vitamins B12, K, and E are essential to the circulatory system. Vitamins A and C in fruits help

protect and repair the skin. A healthy respiratory system needs vitamins C, E, and beta carotene.

These are just a few examples, but boosting the immune system is one of the most crucial

benefits of a healthy diet. Germs are everywhere, but research has found that getting proper

amounts of fruits and vegetables lowers the number of illnesses and sick days significantly. One

study proved that this is true regardless of whatever other foods are consumed with those

healthier items (Lampe 475).

Another benefit of nutritionally good foods is the natural, healthy energy boost they can

provide. Typical “energy drinks” that have become popular should definitely be avoided.

Caffeine and similar other short-term boosts, if used too often and long term, can actually cause

exhaustion by interfering with sleep and increasing stress levels, having the opposite of the

desired effect. Caffeine can also lead to nervousness, irritability, insomnia, rapid heartbeat, and

increased blood pressure. Choosing a protein and complex carbohydrate shake or “smoothie” is

a much better option. This would provide a comparable boost without those negative side effects

(Gunja).

There are thousands of other examples of how a healthy diet is beneficial. Even without

exercise, a diet alone can improve one’s appearance, confidence, and feelings of self-worth. This

is a great boost to overall mental health. Adding regular exercise into this mix helps in each and

every area as well. For example, exercise can offer an even greater energy boost. Blood vessels

dilate during exercise, increasing blood flow and oxygen to muscles while temporarily increasing
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the metabolic rate. This also provides a boost not only during exercise, but throughout the day

(Anderson 1). Exercise can also improve one’s appearance in ways that diet alone cannot,

though this is a completely subjective area.

On its own, a good diet has many benefits, and exercise alone is no different. Even

without healthy eating, the strengthening of muscles and increasing of bone density that exercise

provides aids in many areas of physical health including improving the quality of life in later

years. The heart is a muscle, and the American Heart Association offers many studies proving

that exercise reduces the risk of heart disease and other related conditions. For daily life,

exercise builds up and improves circulation of white blood cells which is necessary in fending

off harmful bacteria. Though exercise cannot prevent all illness, it can make for a quicker and

more thorough recovery.

Exercise is a very effective method to help prevent cardiovascular disease and to promote

cardiovascular health. Aerobic and anaerobic exercises are different types of exercises that vary

based on the interval, intensity, and certain muscle fibers that are being incorporated. Two types

of muscle fibers commonly known for their differences are fast twitch and slow twitch muscle

fibers. Slow twitch muscle fibers are in use during activities that require more endurance, while

fast twitch fibers are involved in exerting maximum force for shorter periods (Anderson 1).

Examples of aerobic training include hiking, jogging, dancing, swimming, and anything

long distance related. What these all have in common is they use large muscle groups and can be

continuously extended over long periods of time (Patel). Aerobic exercise led to a significant

reduction in total cholesterol and overall better heart and cardiovascular health in a study from

Australia (Halbert). However, without consistency or even having too much consistency in

aerobic exercise will not show desired results. Researchers concluded that one to two hours of
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prolonged aerobic activity for two to three days a week is shown to be optimal for improved

health (Schnohr).

“Intense physical activity of very short duration, fueled by the energy sources within the

contracting muscles and independent of the use of inhaled oxygen as an energy source,” is how

the American College of Sports Medicine defines anaerobic training (ACSM). This type of

training includes most weightlifting activities, short sprints, high intensity interval training, and

anything that uses fast twitch muscle fibers. These activities also show positive results in

cardiovascular health by strengthening and even expanding blood vessels (Akseki).

A study on 16 overweight males showed that combining the two different training styles

is the best choice for losing weight. Half of them were put on a program of both aerobic and

anaerobic training, and the rest just anaerobic training alone. They all showed results with

decreased body mass index (BMI), but the prior team showed the most significant results

(Salvadori). It is that estimated more than 250,000 people in the United States die from lack of

physical activity resulting in cardiovascular disease (Patel).

Exercise is not a cure, but it can certainly lower the risks of many diseases such as

cancer, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, lung disease, and many more. Jordan Metzed,

M.D. declared exercise to be a “miracle drug” that can help prevent almost every illness and has

very few side effects. A good example of this is found in longevity studies. Research compiled

by the Obesity Research Group showed that adding only 150 minutes of physical activity per

week can actually add more than seven years to one’s life (Obesity Research Group). Even

obese people who added minimal but daily activity increased their life expectancy by more than

three years.
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Stress reduction is another benefit of exercise that clearly helps both physical and mental

health, and as Claire Nagel believes, is often overlooked or neglected by most people

(Nagel). The release of endorphins during exercise improves mood and feelings. Adrenaline

increases blood flow carrying more oxygen to the brain, which helps with alertness and focus,

which also reduces stress levels. With stress leading to many other physical and mental health

issues, regular exercise can reduce or even prevent more difficulties than most people even

consider. Chronic stress can not only lead to health hazards like smoking, alcoholism, and

overeating, but it also negatively affects the immune system leading to chronic inflammatory

conditions and lowering overall immunities (Segerstrom and Miller).

Making one smarter or more creative may not be among the most commonly

acknowledged benefits of exercise, but, interestingly enough, they are there. It is a fact that

building muscle helps build brain cells. This improves memory, boosts cognition, helps in

learning faster, reading better and even increases brain volume (Hopkins et.al). Similarly, a

study showed that physical activity “improved both convergent and divergent thinking,” which

are the two types associated with creativity (Blanchette 260).

The area of financial health should also be recognized as a benefit to exercise. The

savings in health care costs can be huge and should not be overlooked. A healthy lifestyle leads

to paying lower premiums for health and life insurance, along with lower medical costs. Unfit

people have more health issues of all types, which means more costs in co-payments,

deductibles, ongoing medications and treatments. Many of them also do not live long enough to

collect social security and pension benefits that they worked a lifetime for. Regular exercise

definitely has more benefits than often considered (Fuscaldo).

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Though individually a healthy diet and regular exercise can each individually provide

important advantages, combining them into an overall healthy lifestyle is hugely and undeniably

the most beneficial way to go. With the consequences of a sedentary, unhealthy life being so

severe, so consequential, even so expensive in every way, more effort and resources should

definitely be dedicated to these areas. Those suffering now express great regret that they did not

do so sooner. Disease prevention, stress reduction, increased longevity, looking good, and

feeling good are just a few benefits. Better physical, mental, and even financial health are also

truly possible through a healthy lifestyle using just a little time and effort. With so many positive

effects, we should all...Just do it.

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Works Cited

American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and

prescription. USA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2013.

Akseki, H, et al. “The alteration of NTproCNP plasma levels following anaerobic exercise in

physically active young men.” Anatolian journal of cardiology., U.S. National Library of

Medicine, Feb. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25252292/.

Anderson. “Body Systems and Nutrition” Livestrong.com. Jan 2015

Blanchette, et. al. “Aerobic Exercise and Cognitive Creativity” Creativity Research Journal.

Vol. 17. p257-264. 2005.

British Journal of Health. Vol. 18, issue 4. p782-798. November 2013

Fuscaldo, Donna. “Wellness Programs Lower Insurance Premiums.” Bankrate, Bankrate.com, 14

Nov. 2017, www.bankrate.com/finance/insurance/wellness-programs-lower-insurance-

premiums-1.aspx.

Gunja N. et al. Energy Drinks: Health risks and toxicity. Medical Journal of Australia 2012;

196:46

Halbert, J A, et al. “Exercise training and blood lipids in hyperlipidemic and normolipidemic

adults: a meta-Analysis of randomized, controlled trials.” European journal of clinical

nutrition., U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 1999,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10452405.

Hopkins, et.al. “Differential Effects of Acute and Regular Physical Exercise on Cognition”

Neuroscience. July 2012.

Lampe. Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. vol.

70. p475-490.
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“Middle-Aged Couch Potatoes May Reverse Heart Effects of a Sedentary Life with Exercise

Training.” Middle-Aged Couch Potatoes May Reverse Heart Effects of a Sedentary Life

with Exercise Training | American Heart Association, 8 Jan. 2018,

newsroom.heart.org/news/middle-aged-couch-potatoes-may-reverse-heart-effects-of-a-

sedentary-life-with-exercise-training.

Nagel, Claire, Ryan Ondler. March 2018.

Obesity Research Group. University of Ottawa, Canada. Public Library of Science Medicine.

November 2012.

Patel, Harsh, et al. “Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system.”

World Journal of Cardiology, Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 26 Feb. 2017,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5329739/.

Salvadori, A, et al. “Short bouts of anaerobic exercise increase non-Esterified fatty acids release

in obesity.” European journal of nutrition., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb.

2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23619826/.

Schnohr, P, et al. “Dose of jogging and long-Term mortality: the Copenhagen City Heart

Study.” Journal of the American College of Cardiology., U.S. National Library of

Medicine, 10 Feb. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25660917.

Segerstrom, Suzanne and Miller, Gregory. Psychological Stress and the Human Immune System.