Obesity... in light of its potential for leptin and insulin resistance, Obesity must be considered in conjunction with subsequent dysfunction in neural and hormonal systems which predisposes the individual suffering from obesity to inflammatory reactions, depression, and degenerative disease.
Obesity has become a very common disease in
North America (including 1 in every 3 children). Complications include a disturbance in the energy system, and
therefore Obesity has special needs with respect to exercise and physical
activity.
Although the processes of transition between obesity and insulin resistance, hypertension, and diabetes remain uncertain, overactivity of the sympathetic neural system appears to be pivotal. The results of a recent study
indicate that the sympathetic overactivity is directly correlated to the grade of insulin resistance. Stress, whether it be physical, emotional or mental, triggers the sympathetic nerves, which in turn constricts systemic blood vessels leading to hypertension, and systemic pH acicity. The body is normally slightly alkaline. Acidity predisposes to free radical production, damage and inflammation.
Dominance of the sympathetic nerual system such as occurs in Obesity, is of even greater concern for diabetics than for overtrained athletes because sympathetic overactivity is related to major cardiovascular accidents. Adrenaline is what constricts the deep body arteries, and it's also what can damage vessel walls under pressure (just like nicotine), which are especially vulnerable in the presence of inflammatory conditions symptomatic of Obesity. And this is in addition to other considerations such as the motivation to exercise - the level of pH fitness determines mood, an acidic pH predisposes to depression, lethargy and ill humour.
In regards to exercise appropriate for the Obese, the solution is not simply "burning more calories with more exercise" because physical exertion typically stimulates the sympathetic nervous system which can lead to greater neural imbalance, and more inflammation. Instead a program that gets "More Out of Exercise™ by restoring neural, circulatory, and endocrine balance can add the qualities required to exercise without harm. The Body'Fit pH Fitness™ exercise sequence (short form... pHx™) is specially designed to restore balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic neural systems while normalizing pH acidity at Peak Metabolic Potential™ (PMP™), and without stress. Body'Fit pHx provides the total body dynamic stretching that can equalize V02max in all muscles, is indicated for the special needs such as Obesity, just as it is when athletes experience overtraining. In fact, optimizing oxygen delivery and absorption for enhanced glucose utilization by balancing circulation in all tissues without overstimulating the sympathetic nerves which leads to inflammatory reactions indicative of insulin and leptin resistance, are among the benefits a pHx warm-up cool down provides. By reversing the acidity produced by lactic acid production, it recharges cells and optimizes metabolism without neural imbalance.
The systematic movement of the spinal column with the Body'Fit pH Fitness sequence triggers neural and endocrine plexes in the order that stimulates the hypothalamus to enhance glucose uptake in peripheral tissues. In addition, by tiggering adenosine with adrenaline to drive circulation into the deep organs, Body'Fit pHx converts the constrictive action of adrenaline to dilation, mitigating hypertension symptomatic of obesity, while increasing uptake of glucose by all tissues. In contrast to the metabolite buildup combined with sympathetic neural constriction of deep systemic vessels which usually triggers hyperventilation during exercise, the pHx sequence renders hyperventilation unnecessary all all degrees of performance intensity and duration. By maintaining homeostatic equilibrium, fast restoration of body pH balance takes the load off the kidneys in acid base equilibrium, especially with the renal inefficiency that occurs as Obesity advances. Observation of over-training recovery from neural imbalance with daily performance of the Body'Fit pHx sequence has far-reaching implications for diabetic Obesity.
Exercise and Obesity
Metabolic syndrome characteristic of
obesity is a cluster of abnormalities with basic characteristics being
insulin resistance and visceral obesity. Insulin resistance can be
linked to diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. These
abnormalities constitute the insulin resistance syndrome... more. The
major concerns of obesity and metabolic syndrome are type 2 diabetes,
cardiovascular disease, stroke, and certain types of cancers.
Alhough the process of transition between
obesity, insulin resistance, and the metabolic syndrome remain
uncertain, overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system appears
pivotal. Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) overactivity is associated
with energy imbalance in obesity and metabolic syndrome. Adrenaline is
released which constricts the systemic vascular networks.
The analysis of sympathetic and
parasympathetic components and the sympathovagal balance demonstrated an
association between insulin resistance and sympathetic over-activity,
especially during the night... increased sympathetic activity is related to
major cardiovascular accidents more...
At rest sympathetic and
parasympathetic nervous stimulation is in balance. During exercise,
parasympathetic stimulation decreases and sympathetic stimulation
increases. Sympathetic and parasympathetic dominance is characteristed
of overtraining in sports... more
During dynamic treadmill
testing, patients with the most marked hypertension demonstrated a
statistically significantly greater tachycardia response to exercise
that correlated with highest peak exercise epinephrine levels. Maximal
exercise serum lactate levels were higher in hypertensive patient groups
than in normotensive subjects...more
Exercise represents one the highest
levels of extreme stress to which
the body can be exposed. For example, in a person who has an extremely
high fever approaching the level of lethality, the body metabolism
increases to approximately 100% above normal; by comparison, the
metabolism of the body during a marathon race increases to 2000% above
normal.
It's observed
that for special needs such as obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes,
and other abnormalities, people are able to lose weight safely by adding
half a round to the 15-minute Body'Fit pH Fitness warm-up when
exercising. The critical mass in terms of noticeable improvement in
health fitness appears when participants include at least 5 additional
minutes to the standard 15-minute Body'Fit warm-up, as well as doing a
minimum 5-minute cool down.
Exercise usually has a temporary
affect on higher diabetic insulin secretion. During physical activity
muscle cells use blood glucose because they need it for energy. Muscle
cells are more sensitive to insulin only during exercise. Basal and
stimulated insulin secretion was higher in [diabetics] than the normal
subjects and was not altered by the exercise training program more...
No lowering of plasma
triglicerides is observed in diabetics who exercise...
triglyceride is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease for both men
and women in the general population... more.
Exercise [by itself] can decrease
abdominal fat and may reduce obesity... but seems to have little effect
on the early signs of diabetes...more.