Lifetime Home Fitness

Research now shows that exercise improves the brain. Exercise is associated with an increase in the number of large diameter vessels in the cerebral region of the brain and with an increase in blood flow in the three major cerebral arteries, resulting in brain improvement, according to researchers of the Radiological Society of North America. The researchers noted, narrowing and loss of small vessels may contribute to cognitive decline. This area of the brain controls functions that include consciousness, memory, initiation of activity, emotional response, language and word associations.

Subjects exercised over 3 hours a week in aerobic sports on a regular basis, while others had exercised less than 1 hour a week. Age and cognitive ability were similar in the two groups and both groups were relatively healthy, with no significant cardiovascular or psychological conditions, including depression. The researchers used MRI and other methods to visualize cerebral blood vessels and determine cerebral blood flow. The results were, active subjects had more small blood vessels and greater cerebral blood flow than inactive individuals.


The total number of vessels with a radius of 0.2 to 0.3 millimeters was approximately 150 in the active individuals and approximately 100 in the inactive group.

“We found that as the blood vessel radius went up, the blood flow went up in the active group, while an increase in radius correlated with a decrease in blood flow in the inactive group,” Feraz Rahman, one of the researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, reported. “We also found that a loss of small vessels is not an issue in active adults, because the average vessel size increases and blood flow is positively correlated with radius. However, in inactive adults, the number of small vessels is an issue.” Rahman continued by stating, “An aerobic sports program may be a vital part of healthy aging by preventing the narrowing and loss of small cerebral vessels and consequent decrease in cerebral blood flow.” Click here to read more on brain improvement.

Does aging occur faster in sedentary individuals?

Research shows those with a more active lifestyle, including regular exercise, seem to be biologically younger. Researchers from a Kings College study, on over two thousand twins, found DNA pieces known as telomeres were much shorter in sedentary individuals. Researches believe that shorter telomeres may be linked to faster aging. In fact, the study findings indicate that most active individuals had telomere length that was comparable to the telomere length of inactive individuals who were a decade younger.

What does all this mean? Individuals who are active are less vulnerable to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Study results seem to indicate that individuals with an active lifestyle do not age as fast as sedentary individuals. In fact, study results pointed to a quicker aging process for inactive individuals. The Kings College study proves that adults with a regular exercise program are biologically younger than sedentary adults.

However, not all physicians are sure of a direct link between a regular exercise and an anti-aging effect. Dr. Jack Gurainik, of the National Institute of Aging, believes that more research will be needed to prove a direct correlation between regular exercise and aging. He went on to suggest that there are other biological factors that may explain the differences found between active and inactive study participants.

So while the medical profession does more research to reach an agreement on the exact effect exercise has on aging, all medical professionals seem to agree that regular exercise and healthy diet are important to overall health.

In maintaining an effective home fitness program, there is a formula which has assisted me. The formula is called the Paradox Principle. The Paradox Principle has four areas which must be honestly addressed in the development of any home fitness program. Those four steps are Awareness; Vision; Strategy; and, Execution. Below find a brief overview about each step of the Paradox Principle:

1. Paradox Principle - Awareness: The main question to ask yourself is “Do I get it”? In other words, do I have a complete understanding of what is involved in maintaining a home fitness program? Do you fully understand that this must be a regularly scheduled activity? What home exercises best meet your health needs?  Be aware you will never totally “get it” so always keep learning.

2. Paradox Principle - Vision: Here your question should be “Can I see it”? Do you have a vision of what the end, or outcome, looks like with your home fitness program?

3. Paradox Principle - Strategy: “Do I know what to do?” is the question to ask in this home fitness step. Here a few of the questions you need to answer? Make sure you have your home fitness program written out for you to physically see.  Don’t leave it to your memory to recall all the details. More importantly, the success rate is statistically proven to increase when your home fitness program is in writing.

4. Paradox Principle - Execution: “Will I get it done”? Having completion dates for each of your strategies is essential. Too often strategies are written but no date of when it will be executed is stated. By not putting a completion date on any of your home exercises, you will find that many will never get completed because there is no “urgency” placed on it and improvement in your home fitness will suffer.

Obviously, there are many more questions within the Paradox Principle that must be addressed but that will be saved for another article. The main point now is to know if these four steps are followed your chances of having a successful home fitness program will increase dramatically.