Exercise It Well

There's a new OLD NAVY commercial featuring mannequins where the end line of the commercial is "Walk it off son!" That was going to be the headline for this story as a way to combat the flu among those who are healthy and want to stay healthy. The research has been fairly consistent and indeed many people believe that you can jump start your immune system when you're sick by "walking it off" with exercise. Or if you're a running by running it off though the research for that isn't supportive.

"Upper respiratory tract infection is reduced in physically fit and active adults - For more than 20 years, Dr. David Nieman and his colleagues at Appalachian State University have studied the effects of exercise, diet, weight, gender and education levels on one’s health. His work shows exercise has the most influence on a person’s health. “Exercise is probably the most powerful thing you can do to reduce your sick days this winter,” Nieman said. Nieman is a professor in the Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science in the College of Health Sciences at Appalachian State University. He also is director of the university’s Human Performance Laboratory located in the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis." - Appalachian State University (University News)

We're not big advocates of exertion of the sweaty kind. We know its value and don't ignore its usefulness but we're constantly in search of alternatives to exercise. We admit that we are carrying more weight than our frames should effectively and efficiently maintain. We admit that our health and wellbeing would only improve with such habits and that they are indeed good. We just think that its better to find another way and save the exercise for rehabilitation rather than recreation.The news is a review of the efforts of the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS) and from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health directed us to further and current research on a smaller group but its holds the hope and promise we're constantly searching for to validate our slothful intentions.

"UW study wonders: Can exercise or even meditation ward off the flu? - Scientists know meditation reduces stress and exercise can prevent chronic diseases. But they don't know if either activity makes the immune system better able to fight respiratory infections, said Dr. Bruce Barrett, a UW Health family physician heading up the research." - Wisconsin State Journal (October 30, 2009)

The study deals with the age group of us and their feelings, much like our, do not particularly enjoy exercising but when you add the very enjoyable meditation to the mix. Then we're interested in this type of research. The group is less than one hundred and fifty (150) men and women fifty (50) years of age and over. That meditation might also be or offer some protection against the flu is a wonderful, if proven true, benefit that we wholeheartedly support. If proven true. We're hopeful and remain so we also know that if the research is proven they'll be another study that would find the findings to be faulty or wrong. Until then we'll get our shots once they're available and take our vitamin D until they are.