food & fitness Enhanced Mood


03


Physical activity doesn’t just make us happy— it can actually alleviate depression, says Mary Jane Johnson, PhD, a spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise. Researchers at Duke University in Durham, NC, have found that exercise had the same positive effects on depression as sertraline (Zoloft®). Though the exact mechanism isn’t clear, exercise does increase levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that enhances mood as well as tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin, Johnson says. Try exercising with others or outdoors for


an extra boost, she adds. Repetitive workouts such as spinning, swimming, or dancing are particularly effective for triggering the release of serotonin, says Pamela Peeke, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, in Baltimore, and author of Fit to Live (Rodale Books, 2007).


Heart Protection 04


Physical activity is the foundation of preventing heart disease, says Nieca Goldberg, MD, a cardiologist at New York University and author of Dr. Nieca Goldberg’s Complete Guide to Women’s Health (Ballantine Books, 2009). “A regular, moderately- paced walking program done every day at 3.8 miles per hour can lower your heart disease risk by 35 to 50 percent,” she says. Exercise lowers blood pressure by making


your blood vessels more flexible. “Relaxed blood vessels not only lower blood pressure but are also resistant to plaque build up,” Goldberg says. In addition, exercise raises HDL cholesterol, the good kind that improves the transport of bad cholesterol (LDL) out of the blood. Moreover, physical activity lowers blood sugar levels, which helps you lose weight and prevent type 2 diabetes.


32 pause FALL / WINTER 2011


Less Belly Fat


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Too much fat in the midsection means you’ll have excess visceral fat, the kind that increases inflammation and ups your risk for cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Exercise—both cardio and strength training—helps shrink belly fat, says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University in New Haven, CT, and co-author of A Woman’s Guide to Perimenopause and Menopause (Yale University Press, 2005). “I started a weight training regimen six months ago, and along with improved muscle mass, my fasting blood sugar has dropped 10 points,” Minkin says. High levels of fasting blood sugar mean you’re at greater risk for developing diabetes.


Increased Immunity 06


Regular exercise is also the best defense against the common cold. A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that people who exercised aerobically for 20 minutes or more at a time—five or more days a week for 12 weeks— had 43 percent fewer sick days due to the common cold compared with people who did no aerobic exercise. “No pill or supplement comes close


to the cold-prevention power of aerobic activity, but time and effort are requisite,” says David C. Nieman, DrPH, lead author of the study and director of the Human Performance Lab at Appalachian State University in Kannapolis, NC. Neiman says exercise can shorten


the length of a cold as well. “Of all lifestyle factors, aerobic exercise done five or more days per week was the most powerful in lowering the number of days with an upper respiratory infection and symptom severity,” he says.


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