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Fighting Inflammation

In today’s article, we will discuss how exercise has proven to help you fight inflammation quickly. I have faced my own battles with inflammation as I have aged. It affects millions of people throughout the world, with 3 out of 5 people dying from chronic inflammation every year.

This can lead to many underlining negative effects on the body and mind as you grow older.

For example, it can lead to stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, heart disorders, cancer, obesity, and diabetes. This is definitely a worldwide problem we have to fix. Amazingly new studies have backed up the effects exercise can have at preventing chronic inflammation from life-threatening diseases. Especially as we age this should be something you take seriously.

What is inflammation?

How exercise has proven to help you fight inflammation quickly

In simple terms, inflammation is the body’s way of protecting itself from infection, injury, or disease. It’s broken down into two forms either acute or chronic inflammation where your immune system dispatches an army of white blood cells to heal the affected areas.

Why Is Inflammation Bad?

Well, there is a good side to inflammation when our bodies need to fight off injuries and decease but there is a dark side to inflammation which can happen from our diet and lack of mobility. If this isn’t taking seriously. Lack of action can lead to heart disease, strokes, cancer even affecting brain function. The one I was most interested in was acid reflux and how I prevent this from being a normal part of my life.

How Exercise Has Proven To Help You Fight Inflammation Quickly

In the latest study researchers have shown in the laboratory how we can ward off chronic inflammation through exercise. They engineered human muscles that were grown in a petri dish. Then they inundated the muscles with high levels of interferon-gamma for seven days to mimic the effects of a long-lasting chronic inflammation. The results showed that when muscles were developed through exercise. It could fight chronic inflammation while not overstressing the cells.

This is amazing news for anyone suffering from chronic inflammation as our health is important for our mental well-being. The discovery also shows that it works as effectively as drugs that help with rheumatoid arthritis and baricitinib.My own experience of having acid reflux.

Exercising had a dramatic impact on quieting down this inflammation. In a matter of weeks by exercising I was losing weight around my gut but also building muscle in my legs and upper body. My diet slightly changed but not enough to warrant the cause of my inflammation to drop.

How Does Inflammation Affect The Brain?

There have been many studies that derived the conclusion of the effects inflammatory diseases can have on the brain. Neurologist David Perlmutter, MD states that “inflammation fuelled by increased blood sugar, can damage the tissue in our brains and put us at higher risk for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.”

Dr Robert J. Hedaya MD also states “Inflammation affects hormones and other neurotransmitters in your brain. Inflammation drives down the level of serotonin, which can lead to feelings of depression or anxiety, and problems with memory. It prevents melatonin from being produced, which causes insomnia.

It causes dopamine levels to rise, which contributes to insomnia, and feelings of anxiety.” This is a major concern to us all if our exercise and diet are not where they should be. The long term effects as we age can have dramatic effects on how we live in the second half of our life.

What You Can Do Today

The research and my experience show exercising on an aerobic level can have major benefits overall. Whether that be getting outside in nature by brisk walking, running or cycling. It can even be inside by having a cycling machine. Whatever you choose exercising and building muscle will help you overcome the long-lasting inflammation that affects your daily life.

Also reviewing your habits like diet, smoking etc. Of how much that affects your health can also help. For me, anything chocolate, saturated fats, pretty much all the unhealthy foods flared up my acid reflux inflammation. So take into account what sets your inflammation off as well.

Final Thoughts

I hope you gained some great insight from today’s article – How exercise has proven to help you fight inflammation quickly.

It goes to show keeping our bodies active and healthy can go a long way to fighting off bad inflammation. The importance of this can be attributed to long term health and the age we live. But it can also help with our brain function and not letting it affect the impacts of depression and anxiety.

The studies I have read have shown there is hope and a lot of it is in our control. So I leave it in your hands to decide to take action. But know at Future Mindset we are behind you rooting for you to make the changes form a healthy body but something we all need is a healthy mind.

Hi I’m Adam

I’ve spent over 10 years coaching and mentoring people within sport and business. I have many life skills that I have developed and I want to pass these skills on so people can find their best self. I believe it all starts in the mind and I write about valuable tools and strategies to help people grow in this area.

By Adam Smith

The 5 breathing techniques you have to do — Photo by Ale Romo Photography on Unsplash

Why Breathing Is A Powerful Tool

The typical adult can take between 14,000 to 20,000 breaths a day. How many do we notice? I can say with confidence probably not an awful lot. The system works perfectly so we don’t even have to take much notice of it. I would even say we take it for granted that it works so well, especially as it’s the process that’s keeping us alive. Depending on our mood or physical state our breath can be smooth when we are calm and very intense when we are fearful. That’s why it’s important to take control of our breath when our body is in demanding situations.

A Great Form Of Meditation

Breath-work for me has become a great way of meditating by taking control of my breath I can therefore take control of my thoughts and emotions. Doing any of these 5 exercises below has helped me feel at peace with my self. Where now I feel more calm, focussed and happy within my life. I hope 1 of these techniques below can help you feel the same.

The 5 Breathing Techniques

4 7 8 Breathing

This technique is great when you’re on the move. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of 4. Hold your breath for a count of 7. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of 8. This is helpful when you’re surrounded by people in a stressful situation or you feel anxiety while walking or in daily life. This has helped me tremendously is taking control of my stress and anxiety and reverting it to my normal state.

Wim Hof

This is probably the most famous breathing technique around with millions of views on YouTube currently. Wim has been pushing his bodies boundaries for over a decade breaking world records along the way. Now he teaches his methods and the breathing technique he uses. It’s intense breathing through the nose and out the mouth for 1 minute then taking 1 last deep breath in and on the exhale hold for either 1min or 2min then breathe in then hold again for 15 secs before repeating the exercise 3 more times. Wim claims that people do a lot of slim breathing and deep intense breathing can have positive impacts on endurance and strength conditioning.

Box Breathing

The reason its call box breathing is because it focuses on all 4 corners of the breath. The inhale, breath-hold, the exhale, and breath-hold. The preferred use of this is by following the pattern of inhaling for 4 seconds, followed by a four-second hold, then exhaling for 4 seconds and then followed by a 4-second hold. This should all be done breathing through your nose for a minimum of 5 rounds. This is preferred to be done early in the morning or of course when your feeling stressed, anxious or overwhelmed.

Nadi Shodhana

I first came across this with Breathe and Flow. They tend to do this after a Yoga session. This is alternate nostril breathing so first with your right hand get your thumb and wedding ring finger and place it on your nostrils. Then with your pointer and middle finger place those between your eyebrows. Followed by closing your left nostril with your thumb and breath in then out and back in one more time and then close the right nostril to breath out through the left nostril the breath in through the same nostril. Then repeat for 5 to 10 cycles allowing your mind to follow the cycles like a wave in the sea. I feel amazing after doing this and my mind and nostrils defiantly feel clear.

Kapalabhati

This is an intense breath-work which consists of alternating short, explosive exhales and slightly longer, passive inhales. Exhales are generated by powerful contractions of the lower belly which push air out of the lungs. Again this is used after my Yoga practice.

Final Thoughts

These are the 5 techniques that I have practised. My personal favourite is the Nadi Shodhana but all have their positives. I tend to go through them all each month to keep me on my toes and not to get too comfortable doing just 1 technique. I recommend if you haven’t already just to give it a go for 1 month and evaluate your experience and whether you have gained anything from it. For me and a lot of people, I’ve read or come across it has helped them a lot. So let’s get back to basics and get in touch with breathing. It’s what’s keeping us alive.

I hope enjoyed this post on breathing techniques, I hope to see you in the next post!