Perhaps the most thorough scientific review on the benefits of lifestyle (at least in terms of exercise and movement) was written in 2002 by Booth et al* and published in the well-respected paper: Journal of Applied Physiology. In this paper Booth et al state that exercise is a genetic requirement for humans to express health and prevent illness, they also make it clear that chronic illness physiology associated with sedentary living is not the result of bad genes or pathological cell function but rather due to living a genetically incongruent lifestyle.
Following is a summary of the benefits of incorporating exercise into our lifestyle that are sited in this paper. Most of these benefits are based on research studying the health benefits of just 30 minutes of brisk walking each day. However some research indicates that even further health benefits could be reached with more exercise than the 30 minutes of walking that generally have been used in these studies. So here are some of the benefits of an active lifestyle (e.g. 30 min of daily walking):
- Decrease all causes of mortality by 67% in the general population.
- Prevent up to 91% of cases of obesity and type-2 diabetes.
- Enhance learning by 12 times.
- Prevent up to 50% of all causes of heart disease.
- Reduce the risk of stroke by 25-30%.
- Prevent up to 50% of all stroke deaths.
- Reduce congestive heart disease death by up to 63%
- Reduce the hospital readmission for heart failure patients by 70%.
- Normalise blood pressure and reduce risk of development of high blood pressure.
- Restore or maintain heart and blood vessel health.
- Restore and maintain normal cholesterol triglyceride levels.
- Reduce risk of breast cancer by up to 60%.
- Reduce pancreatic cancer in overweight people by 50%.
- Reduce lung cancer even in smokers, by 72%.
- Reduce melanoma by over 72%.
- Prevent up to 50% of colon cancer.
- Reduce risk of development and improve outcome of those with, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
- Prevent osteoporosis and increase new bone formation.
- Increase strength, flexibility and balance in sedentary populations.
- Decrease gallbladder removal by 20% and decrease gallstones.
- Improve digestion and decrease indigestion.
- Improve bowel function and elimination.
- Increase immune system function.
- Increase macrophage (anti-tumor) activity and anti-oxidant levels.
- Decrease all-cause mortality by 50% in the 61-81 year-old age group.
- Prevent up to 47% of cognitive impairment, prevent up to 62 of Alzimer’s and 52% of dementia.
- Improved physical function in older adults.
- Decreases the chances of ever being in a nursing home.
- Decreased rate of aging.
- Increase dopamine and serotonin levels.
- Decreasing depression by 20%, including relapses.
- Increase growth and healing hormones.
- Decrease stress and body breakdown hormones.
- Decrease body fat, obesity, and weight gain.
To gain the full benefit of your chiropractic adjustment it is important to take a 5-10 min walk after each treatment to give your body a chance to adapt to the structural and neurological changes.