Unleash Your Internal Pharmacy
Our bodies are built to make their own medicine. We are like giant walking pharmacies.
We can make most of the medicine our bodies need as we age. And unlike medicines at the local pharmacy, the one’s our body makes are custom-made for us, dispensed at the exact right time, the right dose, and without harmful side effects. Plus, they’re free!
So where is this internal pharmacy? I’m going to get a little scientific on you, but stay with me.
Our endocrine system is made up of many important glands such as the thyroid, endothelium, pancreas, and adrenal glands. We’re going to focus on the endothelium, which is the lining of our blood vessels. The endothelium contains millions of microscopic “medicine bottles’ that supply our body with a variety of medicines. It is our very own personal internal pharmacy!
These little medicine bottles, which are actually metabolically active cells, release chemical messengers to help maintain our blood vessel’s health, along with maintaining the health of other organs and tissues.
If we sit too much and eat too much unhealthy food, our blood cells stick together and form clots which cover up the medicine bottles so they can’t open. This is where high blood pressure and high cholesterol start.
But...if we move our bodies and eat healthy foods such as lean meats, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, our blood flows freely and there is minimal sticky stuff covering up our medicine bottles.
The best way to keep these internal medicine bottles open is to exercise! When we exercise we produce a chemical messenger called nitric oxide, which actually prompts the body to produce its own medicine.
When nitric oxide is produced it opens our endothelium, which allows our blood to move freely and produces healing medicines. A few other bonuses from nitric oxide are:
Lowers high blood pressure
Lowers cholesterol
Increases the body’s own antidepressants
Increases the body’s own pain relievers
Boosts the body’s anti-inflammatory medicine
Regulate blood clotting and blood flow
If we exercise regularly, we train our bodies to produce more nitric oxide, even when we’re not working out. If you’ve ever taken an Orangetheory class, this is what they refer to as the afterburn.
So what type of exercise do you need to do? Whichever one you will actually do! Aim for 20-30 minutes of movement a day. If you can get your heart rate up through speed walking, running, rowing, or cycling, even better.
Need exercise inspiration? Set up a time to talk with me.
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