Dr. Mike’s Healthy Lifestyle Advice: Negative Effects of Exercise
Filed Under: Sensible Weight Loss
The negative effects of exercise are not well known; Most physicians and health care professionals, including therapists, wrongly prescribe cardiovascular exercise to their patients/clients that are post-op, obese or are suffering from fibromyalgia…even though all literature and exercise physiology books tell them not too!
Cardiovascular exercise such as walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming etc. at a low intensity for a longer period of time is a poor choice because this type of exercise has NO bearing with activities of daily living (ADL’s). Cardiovascular exercise also demands too much energy from the client/patient. The post-op patient, fibromyalgia patient or obese client has NO energy reserves and is unable to “walk for 30 minutes” without depleting the body or without making the ‘problem’ worse or causing injury. On top of that, inflammation occurs with continuous exercise exceeding 20 minutes, caused by the constant friction between the muscles.
The type of exercise we need to prescribe is the type that most effectively increases energy production (ATP) in the tissues, thereby increasing oxygen levels and restoring full aerobic respiration of the cells. We are looking for the type of exercise that most effectively increases the number of mitochondria (oxygen factories) and nuclei in the muscles. That type of exercise is called: PRE or Progressive Resistive Exercise. Yes, this type of strengthening exercise is far more effective than cardiovascular exercise for the post-op patient or obese client! Don’t believe it? Why don’t you open that exercise physiology book again and learn that “for every increase in muscle tone there is a 40% increase in vascularization”. This means that there’s a substantial increase in the number of micro-circulation pathways and in the lumen of existing blood vessels. This vastly improves the circulation of oxygenated blood to the affected areas. In short, PRE is more effective in improving cardiovascular condition that cardiovascular exercise, there you have it!
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Emphasis has always been in developing endurance in patients, but strength must ALWAYS precede endurance. If not, what’s there to endure? A great example is the physical therapist who’s dragging a post-op patient with a cane or walker through the hallways of the hospital. What’s the point? Should we not build strength first, and then when the patient has regained the strength and is able to actually walk, build endurance? Makes sense, not?
The ‘Physiological law of Specificity of Exercise’ states that “Performance of a task only builds limited strength in that task.”
In Sports Medicine we always say: “Don’t play to get into shape, get into shape to play”. A football player does not just play football to get in shape for the new season. He does strength training, cardiovascular training, technical drills (throwing the ball, receiving the ball, tackling etc.), tactical training etc. Each facet or component of the game is trained!
Yours in Optimal Health,
Dr. Mike
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