“Given the option, would you avoid the gym altogether and simply pop a pill or drink a supplement that brings about the same benefits as a workout? It sounds farfetched, but the idea of lounging around all day yet still enjoying the health benefits of an intense workout may soon be possible. While there are still many details to be worked out, researchers at the University of Michigan say that the naturally occurring protein Sestrin appears to mimic the effects of exercise on both flies and mice in experimental trials.”
This is how an article at StudyFinds.org starts off.
And then the study itself, published in Nature had a few quotes worth pulling out.
“Genetic components and pathways mediating the metabolic benefits of exercise have remained elusive.”
In other words, we don’t really understand HOW exercise works!
“Identification of cost-effective therapies that can preserve independence and healthy mobile capacity in the elderly would therefore have a cumulatively positive effect, influencing many other aspects of mental and physical health in a wide population demographic.”
It doesn’t get more cost-effective than free, does it?
People think they need expensive equipment, or personal trainers in order to get results. Nope, a little knowledge like in bodyweight training and results are truly open to anyone.
Depending on how much mobility is lacking, this “bodyweight training” may be extremely simple like getting up and down from chairs, wall pushups, walking, mobility drills and the like.
But it doesn’t matter how far gone you are (short of paralysis or deathbed) you can improve your physical functioning.
“Many humans are unable to reach the level of training necessary to generate these remodeling steps for several reasons: (1) age, (2) injury, (3) illness, or (4) social commitments that require long sedentary periods. Therefore, generation of therapeutic mimetics to induce the benefits of exercise could provide broad ranging benefits to the medical community.”
In other words, it’s too difficult to get people to move…so let’s give them a pill instead.
Jeez…this is the world we live in!
Let me ask you. If there was a pill that provided ALL the benefits of exercise would you take it? Would you skip out on exercise?
I sure as hell would not.
To even contemplate such a thing to me is laughable. Nevermind that these sestrins are likely just one pathway of about at least a dozen, more likely a hundred involved. That this reductionist frame could never really cover the benefits of movement.
Now, this isn’t to say that pills are bad or couldn’t help.
But how about a different approach?
How about taking supplements that might help you function better so that you can move well?
Back to that list of age, injury and illness, what if we focused more on the root cause of these so that physical training could be done.
Many people take something like turmeric that helps with inflammation which is involved in most injuries and disease.
My friend Cody is offering buy one bottle, get three free on his Turmeric. It’s good stuff and a hard deal to pass up.
I recommend you exercise AND take select supplements that help you do so in a more holistic way, rather than trying to replace movement.